Giving  the  Country 
Church  Problem 


GARLAND  A.  BRICKER 


811 

<    ia  g 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY 
CHURCH  PROBLEM 


By 
GARLAND  A.  BRICKER,  B.Ped.,  M.A., 

Assistant  Professor  of  Agricultural  Education,  Ohio  State 

University,  and  Managing  Editor  of  "  The  Rural 

Educator,"  Columbus,  Ohio. 

In  Co-operation  with 

.     Fourteen  Collaborators 


(Emctmtait  r 
JENNINGS  AND  GRAHAM 


EATON    AND  M  A  I  N  S 


t*" 

Lx 
.    f*>    c 


COPYRIGHT,  1913,  BY 
JENNINGS  AND  GRAHAM 


TO  THOSE  WHO  LOVE  THE  LORD 

BY  SERVICE 

IN  RURAL  COMMUNITIES 

THIS  BOOK  IS  CONSIDERATELY 

DEDICATED. 


273412 


The  Ghurdi  in  the  Wildwood. 


1.  There's  a  church  in  the  val-ley  by    the  wild  -  wood,  No          love  -  li  -  er 

2.  How        sweot  on    a     clear,  Sab-bath  morn  -  ing     To  list    to    the 

3.  There,      close  by   the  church  in    the  val  -  ley,     Lies         one  that  I 

4.  There,      close  by    the  side      of  that  loved  one,  'Neath  the  tree  where  tho 


place  in    the  dale;    No        spot  is     so  dear    to     my  child-hood  As   the 
clear  ring -ing  bell;    Its       tones  so        sweet -ly     are  call  -  ing,  Oh, 
loved  so          well;    She    sleeps,  sweetly  sleeps  'neath  the  wil  -  low;  Dis- 
wild  flow-ers  bloom, When  the  fare-well      hymn  shall  be  chant -ed,    I    snail 


D.  S.—  spot  is      so  dear    to      my  child-hood  As 


lit-tle  brown  church  in  the  vale, 

come  to  the  church  in  the  vale, 

turb    not  her  rest    in  the  vale, 

rest      by  her  side    in  the  tomb. 


Come  to  the 

Oh,  come,  come,  come,  come,  come,  come, 


church  by  the  wild    -    wood,  Oh,  come  to  the  church  in  the  dale; 

come,  come,     come,  come,  come,  come,  come,  come,  come,  come,     come,  come,  come: 


Analytical   Table  of   Contents 

PAGE 

PREFACE 13 

CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTION:  THE  PROBLEM  IN  PERSPECTIVE 19 

Interdependence    of    Rural    Industrial    Evolution   and 

Social  Development 19 

The  Institutions  Concerned  in  Rural   Industrial  Evo- 
lution   20 

The    Institutions    Concerned    in    Rural    Social    Devel- 
opment   20 

The  Insufficiency  of  the  Economic  Aim  as  a  Life  Motive 

Force ^ 22 

The  Church  as  a  Social  Institution 23 

The  Problems  of  Leadership  and  Discipleship 25 

The  Rural  Problem  Is  Integral 26 

CHAPTER  II 

THE  ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  OF  THE  FARMER  AND  His  CHURCH  27 

1.  The  Church  as  an  Index  to  Rural  Economic  Welfare 

and  Social  Life 28 

The  Four  Types  of  the  Historic  Country  Church.  28 

The  Coming  Type  of  Country  Church    30 

2.  Church   Improvement    Dependent   upon  Labor  In- 

come   32 

The  Cause  of  the  Retarded  Country  Church .  .  33 

An  Agricultural  Ministry? 37 

3.  The  Lord's  Share  of  the  Farmer's  Profits 39 

The  Budget  System  of  Giving 41 

4.  The  Traditional  Christian  Character  and  the  Farmer.  41 

The  Traditional  Virtues 42 

The  Marginal  Rural  People  Are  Representative.  46 

CHAPTER  III 

THE  LIMITATIONS,  THE  OPPORTUNITIES,  AND  THE  POSSIBIL- 
ITIES OF  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH 48 

1.   The  Limitations  of  the  Country  Church 48 

Antiquated  Buildings  and  Equipment 51 

7 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Inadequate  Financial  Support 52 

Inefficient  Leadership 53 

Weakness  of  the  College  and  the  Seminary ....  53 
The  Need  of  Readjusting  Ecclesiastical  Admin- 
istration   55 

Lack  of  Vision 56 

Summary  of  Limitations 57 

2.  The  Opportunity  of  the  Country  Church 58 

Co-operation    of    Rural    School    and    Country 

Church 58 

Championing  Rural  Life 60 

Church  Mediatorship  in  Securing  Co-operation.  60 

Readjustment 64 

Summary  of  Opportunities 65 

3.  The  Possibilities  of  the  Country  Church 65 

The  Rise  of  New  Conditions  in  Country  Life. .  .  66 

The  Dream  and  Then  the  Dawn 67 

The  Message 68 

The  Message  in  Action 70 

CHAPTER  IV 

THE  CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 73 

1.  Conditions 73 

2.  The  Effects 75 

One  Example  of  an  Over-Churched  Field 76 

The  Benefit  of  Church  Consolidation 78 

3.-  Difficulties  in  the  Way  of  Church  Centralization.  .  .  79 

4.  What  Shall  We  Do  about  It? .  .  81 


1.  Union  under  a  Denomination 84 

2.  Union  under  No  Denomination 85 

3.  Federation  of  Denominations 86 

4.  Interdenominational  Church  Trades 87 

The  New  Organizations  Evil 87 

Caution 88 

References 89 

CHAPTER  V 

EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 91 

1.  The  Nature  of  Leadership 91 

2.  Rural  Leadership 93 

3.  A  Country  Church  Commission  and  Its  Work 95 

4.  Pastoral  Leadership 97 

5.  The  Greatest  Need — Co-operation 101 

6.  Three  Great  Rural  Leaders 102 

7.  The  Call  of  the  Rural  Church 106 

8 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VI  PAGE 

THE   EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS  FOR  SERVICE  IN   RURAL 

CHURCHES 108 

Introduction 108 

The  Scholastic  Training  of  the  Rural  Minister  in 

Outline 109 

1.  A  Standard  Philosophy  of  Rural  Improvement Ill 

Breadth  of  Vision  and  Training  Needed 114 

2.  Catholicity  of  Acquaintance  with  the  Rural  Move- 

ment    117 

3.  Rural-Mindedness 119 

Shall  Rural  Ministers  Receive  Agricultural  Col- 
lege Training? 121 

4.  An   Invincible   Purpose  and  Enthusiasm  for  Rural 

Spiritualization 123 

Suggestions  on  the  Solutions  of  the  Educational 

Problem 125 

CHAPTER  VII 

THE   PRINCIPLES  OF  APPERCEPTION  AND  ASSOCIATION  IN 

RURAL  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING 128 

1.  The  Principle  of  Apperception 128 

The  Application  of  the  Principle 129 

Factors  Influencing  Teaching  by  Apperception.  131 

2.  The  Principle  of  Association 133 

The  Principle  of  Association  in  Operation 135 

A  Suggestive  Sermon  Outline 138 

CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  AND  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH.  .  140 

1.  Primitive  Condition 140 

2.  Agencies  of  Transformation 142 

Drift  Westward 144 

Agricultural  Decline 145 

Agricultural  Colleges 146 

New  Conception  of  the  Agricultural  College .  .  .  149 

3.  The  Educated  Ministry 150 

4.  Immediate  Service  of  the  College  to  the  Church ....  155 

CHAPTER  IX 

AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY  FOR  THE  RURAL  PASTOR 159 

The  Problem  Stated 159 

A  Comparison  of  Salaries  and  Service. 160 

The  Work  of  a  Country  Church  Commission 161 

9 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Right  to  Expect  a  Living  Wage 163 

What  Constitutes  a  Living  Wage? 164 

The  Rights  of  Pastor  and  of  People 167 

The  Principle  of  Subsidizing  Weak  Rural  Churches.  .  .  .  168 

Money  and  Ministry 169 

Pay  for  Trained  Leadership 170 

CHAPTER  X 

THE    SPIRITUAL    EVANGELIZATION    OF    THE    RURAL    COM- 
MUNITY THROUGH  ITS  CHURCH 176 

1.  The  Supreme  Aim 176 

2.  The  Sort  of  Leaders  Needed 177 

3.  Hindrances  to  Spiritual  Evangelization 179 

(a)  The  Progressive  Community 180 

(b)  The  Stagnant  Church 182 

4.  Helps  to  Constructive  Evangelization 182 

(a)  The  Community  Survey 183 

(b)  Community  Brotherhood 184 

(c)  The  Church's  Responsibility  for  Community 

Intelligence 189 

5.  The  Test .• 190 

CHAPTER  XI 

THE  RURAL  CHURCH  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE  OF 

THE  COUNTRY  COMMUNITY 192 

The  Life  with  Nature  Is  the  Normal  Life 192 

Are  We  Becoming  a  Nation  of  Cities? 193 

Serving  Rural  America  Is  a  Great  Service 194 

The  Rural  Community  Needs  the  Christian  Church .  .  .  194 

Phases  of  Social  Activity  for  the  Rural  Church 199 

A  Typical  Example  of  the  Status  of  the  Church  in  Rural 

Communities 202 

The   Church   Should   Encourage   and    Minister  to  All 

Good  Community  Activities.  .  . 204 

A  Few  Suggestions  from  Practical  Experience 205 

A  Circulating  Library 207 

The  Mission  of  the  Rural  Church 208 

CHAPTER  XII 

BOYS'  AND  MEN'S  CLUBS  IN  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH 209 

1.  The  Problem. .  209 

The  Loneliness  of  the  Open  Country 212 

2.  The  Boys'  Club 213 

The  Question  of  Leadership 214 

Opportunities  Open  to  Boy-Club  Activities.  ...  215 

The  Highest  Aim  of  Boys'  Club  Work 218 

10 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

3.  The  Men's  Club 219 

The  Various  Fields  of  Service  for  Men's  Clubs.  220 

The  Final  Result.  . 221 

The  Ultimate  Aim 222 

CHAPTER  XIII 

RECREATION  AND  THE  RURAL  CHURCH 223 

The  Recreational  Responsibility  of  the  Rural  Church.  223 

An  Example 225 

The  Forms  of  Recreation  and  Amusement.  .  . 226 

The  Monotony  of  Winter  on  the  Farm 229 

CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  WORK  OF  WOMEN'S  ORGANIZATIONS  IN  THE  RURAL 

CHURCH .  .   232 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  a  Type 232 

The  Women's  Organization  a  Community  Enterprise.  .    235 

The  Enlargement  of  the  Field  of  Service 237 

The  Rural  Problem  a  Unit .  .  .239 


A  Typical  Ladies'  Aid  Society 239 

1      CHAPTER  XV 

^  RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 244 

1.  Obstacles  to  the  Progress  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School.  245 

2.  Educational  Efficiency 247 

Lesson  Systems 249 

Organization 250 

Architecture  and  Equipment 251 

3.  Social  Efficiency. 255 

Larger  Friendliness 257 

Recreative  Activities : 259 

Community  Improvements 260 

Reform  Movements 260 

Social  Problems, 261 

CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  WORK  OF  THE  COUNTRY  YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  AS- 
SOCIATION IN  BUILDING  RURAL  MANHOOD 263 

1.  The  Field  of  the  Country  Young  Men's  Christian 

Association 264 

2.  The  Organization  and  Methods  of  Work 265 

3.  Principles  in  Rural  Work 268 

11 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

4.   The  Group  Method  of  Organization  and  Activities.  270 

Social  Activities 271 

Recreational  and  Athletic  Activities 272 

Educational  Activities 273 

Religious  Work 276 

CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  YOUNG  WOMEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION  AS  A  BUILDER 

OF  RURAL  WOMANHOOD 279 

1.  The  Organization  of  the  Country  Young  Women's 

Christian  Association 279 

2.  Methods  of  Carrying  on  the  Work 280 


APPENDIX 

A.  A  SELECT  BIBLIOGRAPHY  ON  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  .  .   287 

B.  HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  REPORT  OF  THE  LAW- 

RENCE CIRCUIT  FOR  1913 289 


12 


PREFACE 

THAT  a  rural  Church  problem  exists  is  usually 
granted  without  debate,  and  it  is  upon  this  assump- 
tion that  the  collaborators  of  this  volume  have  pro- 
ceeded in  their  work.  The  question  naturally  arises, 
How  shall  this  problem  be  solved?  and  that  has  been 
the  guiding  consideration  in  the  preparation  of  this 
book. 

The  solution  of  so  great  a  problem  is  not  a  one- 
man's  job.  There  is  at  present  great  need  of  a  first- 
class  symposium  on  the  subject  of  solving  the  country 
Church  problem.  Not  a  symposium  of  theories 
merely,  but  a  forum  for  the  best  thought  of  practical 
rural  workers  that  shall  incorporate  experience,  wis- 
dom, knowledge,  and  timely  suggestions  born  of 
mature  reflection.  That  some  of  the  fundamental 
essentials  necessary  to  the  solution  of  the  country 
Church  problem  have  already  been  worked  out,  and 
therefore  now  exist,  is  the  contention  of  the  writer. 
The  writing  and  collecting  of  the  contributions  com- 
posing this  book  represent  a  plan  to  bring  out  from 
under  the  bushel  a  few  lights  to  guide  the  pioneer 
rural  leader  and  Church  worker  on  his  pathway  to  a 
realization  of  the  really  efficient  country  Church. 

The  men  and  women  who  have  collaborated  in 
this  work  were  chosen  because  of  their  special  fitness 

13 


PREFACE 

to  write  on  the  special  subjects  assigned  to  them. 
This  fitness  has,  in  every  case,  been  born  of  experi- 
ence. There  has  been  no  effort  to  work  out  some 
abstract  theory,  nor  to  establish  one.  An  attempt 
has  been  made  to  arrange  the  contributions  in  that 
order  which  is  the  most  suggestive  for  considering  the 
problem  under  discussion. 

The  question  may  be  raised  why  a  professor  of 
agricultural  education  should  so  far  interest  himself 
in  the  rural  Church  problem  as  to  take  the  initiative 
in  the  compilation  of  a  symposium,  which  may  be  a 
step  in  its  possible  solution.  To  such  an  inquiry  the 
editor  of  this  volume  gives  the  following  cogent 
answer : 

First.  No  leader  in  a  profession  can  be  truly  in- 
terested in  its  members  without  also  being  interested 
in  their  environments.  The  teachers  of  agriculture, 
who  must  in  no  small  degree  spend  their  lives  in 
country  communities,  will  naturally  become  rural 
social  leaders;  and  to  make  this  leadership  most 
effective  for  good,  it  should  be  exercised  through,  or 
in  connection  with,  the  moral  atmosphere  of  ,a  live 
and  prosperous  Church. 

Second.  No  man  lives  to  himself  alone;  neither 
should  the  narrow  walls  of  one's  own  immediate  pur- 
suits limit  the  soul's  vision  into  the  beauties  of  an- 
other's vineyard.  Each  angle  at  which  a  social  prob- 
lem is  viewed  gives  a  new  insight  and  the  possibility 
of  greater  achievement  in  service. 

Third.  In  investigating  rural  conditions  in  Ohio 
and  elsewhere  in  connection  with  his  studies  and 

14 


PREFACE 

travels  during  the  past  three  years,  the  writer  has 
found  several  rural  ministers  who  were  attaining 
varying  degrees  of  success  along  different  lines  of 
rural  Church  work.  This  observation  prompted  him 
to  the  endeavor  of  making  a  collection  of  these  various 
experiences  and  achievements,  that  others  who  are 
interested  in  the  country  Church  might  be  helped 
by  them. 

Fourth.  The  interrelation  of  the  three  great  fun- 
damental institutions  of  the  rural  community — the 
home,  the  school,  and  the  Church — is  such  that  the 
assistance  rendered  to  one  of  them  will  have  a  desir- 
able reflex  influence  upon  the  others.  One  of  the 
surest  ways  to  secure  a  redirection  of  the  rural  school 
is  to  have  a  redirected  country  Church. 

Columbus,  Ohio,  G.  A.  B. 

September  1,  1913. 


15 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH 
PROBLEM 


CHAPTER  I 

Introduction:    The  Problem  in 
Perspective 

BY  GARLAND  A.  BRICKER,  B.  FED.,  M.  A., 

Assistant  Professor  of  Agricultural  Education,  Ohio  State    Uni- 
versity, and  Managing  Editor  of  The  Rural  Educator, 
Columbus,  Ohio. 

Interdependence  of  Rural  Industrial  Evolution  and  Social 
Development 

THE  solution  of  the  rural  problem  depends  upon 
development  along  two  distinct,  co-ordinate,  and 
mutually  dependent  lines:  one  has 
reference  to  industrial  evolution 
and  the  other  to  social  transforma- 
tion. In  any  society,  however 
primitive,  the  industrial  life  must 
be  economically  profitable  before  a 
social  structure,  however  simple, 
can  be  maintained.  The  social  fab- 
ric is  limited  by  industrial  pros- 
perity. On  the  other  hand,  a  low 

PROFESSOR  mem      social  life  wil1  not  insPire  the  U%h' 
est  industrial  efficiency.     While  a 

social  life  can  not  endure  at  high-tide  with  an  indus- 
trial ebb,  neither  can  great  industrial  evolution  be 
realized  without  a  corresponding  flow  of  the  social 
life  of  a  people  to  inspire  it. 

19 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

The  Institutions  Concerned  in  Rural  Industrial  Evolution 

The  industrial  evolution  in  the  open  country  con- 
cerns itself  with  the  perfecting  of  a  system  of  agri- 
culture in  which  labor,  business,  and  science  play  the 
leading  parts.  The  institutions  that  have  been 
created  for  accomplishing  this  task,  and  that  may 
justly  be  held  responsible  for  it,  are  the  agricultural 
colleges,  the  experiment  stations,  the  departments  of 
agriculture,  the  agricultural  high  schools,  the  agri- 
cultural courses  of  the  public  schools,  both  elementary 
and  high,  the  various  agricultural  associations,  organ- 
izations, and  clubs,  the  farmers'  institutes,  and  the 
grange  and  similar  bodies.  The  ultimate  aim  of  the 
activity  of  all  these  is  a  more  intensive  and  profitable 
agriculture — the  production  of  more  and  better  raw 
materials  for  food,  clothing,  shelter,  and  aesthetic  en- 
joyment of  man,  from  the  smallest  area  of  land 
through  the  least  expenditure  of  money,  effort,  and 
deterioration  of  the  soil.  It  is  a  purely  economic  aim, 
and  doubtless  owes  its  tremendous  momentum  to  the 
selfish  disposition  in  the  individual  man,  combined 
with  the  growing  need  of  the  race. 

The  Institutions  Concerned  in  Rural  Social  Development 

The  social  transformation  has  to  do  with  the  re- 
habilitation and  the  readjustment  to  modern  rural 
conditions  of  those  institutions  through  which  rural 
social  life  finds  its  expression,  or  else  with  the  creation 
of  new  organizations  that  shall  serve  and  satisfy  the 
social  instinct  of  country  people.  The  institutions 
that  are  of  a  right  burdened  with  this  responsibility 

20 


A  SHELL 

This  church  building  is  located  in  the  midst  of  a  very  profit- 
able agricultural  region.  The  farmers  are  careful  to  keep  it  in 
repair,  clean  it  regularly,  and  speak  of  it  as  "our  church."  Well, 
it  must  be !  For  the  past  twelve  years  not  a  single  religious  serv- 
ice has  been  held  in  it.  The  last  service  was  a  township  Sunday 
school  convention,  in  1900.  The  farmers  of  the  community 
seem  to  feel  that  the  presence  of  this  church  building  is  necessary, 
and  give  of  their  substance  to  keep  it  in  repair.  No  one  there 
would  advocate  the  removal  of  this  skeleton  of  a  defunct  social 
organization.  The  "labor  income"  is  evidently  adequate  to 
sustain  a  flourishing  Church  organization,  but  the  traditional 
Christian  virtues  seem  to  be  lacking;  the  predominating  aim  of 
life  among  the  people  here  is  an  economic  one.  Socially  speak- 
ing, can  the  people  of  this  community  be  rated  as  good  farmers? 


21 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

are  the  rural  home,  the  rural  school,  the  country 
Church,  and  such  other  organizations  as  have  for 
their  object  the  betterment  of  rural  life.  The  com- 
pelling force  back  of  all  these  institutions  is  the  social 
instinct  of  the  individual — an  inherent  character  of 
the  race.  The  direction  in  which  this  instinct  ex- 
presses itself  will  determine  the  nature  of  the  institu- 
tion, whether  cohabitive,  religious,  educational,  or 
recreative. 

The  Insufficiency  of  the  Economic  Aim  as  a  Life  Motive  Force 

The  economic  aim  of  the  agriculturist  is  not  the 
ultimate  aim  of  life,  and  to  make  it  so,  either  in  fact 
or  supposition,  will  only  insure  the  final  failure  of  the 
great  movement  for  which  it  is  responsible.  Social 
workers,  therefore,  who  regard  the  economic  aim  only 
as  a  means  for  contributing  to  the  permanent  uplift 
and  development  of  humanity,  may  well  become 
alarmed  with  reference  to  the  prominence  which  the 
economical  ideal  is  assuming  in  the  life  and  ideals  of 
country  people.  We  do  not  wish  to  be  misunderstood 
in  this  view  of  the  matter  under  discussion.  It  is  not 
the  purpose  to  decry  wealth  as  a  means  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  better  things  for  humanity  or  for  the 
realization  of  better  conditions  of  life  on  the  farm: 
our  voice  is  raised  against  the  disposition  of  making 
it  the  end  of  effort.  A  money-grasping  rural  popula- 
tion can  never  realize  its  highest  development.  A 
scientific  agriculture,  to  be  permanent,  must  be  ac- 
companied by  a  corresponding  development  of  the 
fundamental  rural  institutions-: — the  rural  home,  the 

22 


THE  PROBLEM  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

rural  school,  and  the  country  Church.  Besides  these, 
but  not  independent  of  them,  must  be  organizations 
through  which  play,  amusement,  social  intercourse, 
and  other  social  instincts  of  the  people  may  find 
expression.  These  institutions  are  the  core  of  country 
life,  and  unless  scientific  agriculture  contributes  to 
the  evolution  and  maintenance  of  these,  it  can  never 
be  supported  by  an  intelligent  population,  which  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  its  final  success  as  a  con- 
servator of  the  human  race.  An  institutional  awaken- 
ing of  rural  communities  can  not,  therefore,  be  ig- 
nored; and  rural  education,  inasmuch  as  it  aims  to 
realize  this  awakening,  is,  from  the  larger  point  of 
view,  even  more  essential  than  education  in  agri- 
culture. 

The  Church  as  a  Social  Institution 

We  now  have  a  clear  perspective  as  to  the  relative 
importance  of  the  economic  and  the  social  forces  in- 
volved in  rural  life  development.  We  frankly  ac- 
knowledge that  social  life  and  institutions  in  the  open 
country  are  in  a  state  of  decadence.  We  may  well 
now  consider  the  causes  that  have  had  the  deteriorat- 
ing effect,  and  especially  the  means  and  methods  of 
rehabilitation,  together  with  the  experiences  and  con- 
victions of  active  rural  workers  who  have  met  with  a 
reasonable  degree  of  success. 

We  must,  at  the  outset,  recognize  that  the  social 
institutions  are  the  machines  through  which  social 
energy  works,  and  that  the  social  leaders  are  the 
engineers.  There  is  abundant  social  energy  in  every 
rural  community;  the  great  trouble  is.  it  is  allowed  to 

23 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

go  to  waste  or  is  misdirected.  In  other  words,  this 
rural  social  energy  does  not  flow  through  those  tried 
and  fundamental  institutions  in  which  it  is  most  de- 
sirable that  it  should  flow.  The  energy  is  there,  but 
the  machines  are  clogged,  or  they  leak — perhaps  both. 
Social  institutions  must  be  the  organizations  of  the 
people  whom  they  serve.  Rural  institutions  must  be 
permeated  with  the  rural  idea  of  things,  and  adapted 
to  work  in  harmony  with  the  mechanism  of  the  rural 
system,  its  mode  of  life,  its  customs,  and  its  ideals. 
They  must  fit  into  the  rural  economy. 

The  country  Church  is  one  of  these  institutions. 
The  divine  conception  of  the  Church  is  perfect;  but 
the  human  interpretation  of  that  conception  and 
man's  organism  through  which  to  work  out  that  con- 
ception is  necessarily  fallible.  Yesterday  man  in- 
vented and  constructed  a  human  mechanism  adapted 
to  the  social  life  of  his  day,  through  which  the  eternal 
principles  of  God  might  act.  Since  yesterday  man's 
social  life  has  changed,  and  his  social  mechanism  is 
no  longer  adequate  to  the  needs  of  to-day;  his  genius 
must  make  a  new  adaptation  of  his  social  machine  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  this  generation.  To-morrow 
the  social  structure  will  have  experienced  further 
change,  and  again  the  human  organization  will  need 
to  be  reconstructed.  Seventeenth  century  institutions 
and  equipments  are  not  adequate  to  the  needs  of  a 
twentieth  century  civilization. 

As  a  social  institution,  the  rural  Church  has  its 
definite  sphere  of  activity.  It  can  not  hope  to  be- 
come, and  indeed  should  not  become  the  center  of 

24 


THE  PROBLEM  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

every  community  activity.  The  center  of  the  purely 
intellectual  activities  of  the  community  should  be  the 
rural  school.  The  rural  home  must  awaken  to  the 
necessity  of  opening  its  doors  to  take  under  a  private 
roof  the  purely  social  affairs  of  the  young  life  in  the 
community.  Here  will  be  supplied  the  much-needed 
paternal  protection  and  maternal  restraint  too  often 
lacking  in  public  gatherings  and  in  community  build- 
ings, which  belong  to  everybody  and  are  controlled 
by  nobody.  To  the  Church  are  surrendered  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  moral,  the  religious,  and  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  community  and  its  individuals. 
The  country  Church,  therefore,  becomes  a  community 
center  for  those  social  activities  that  involve  any  of 
these  phases  of  life. 

The  Problems  of  Leadership  and  Discipleship 

It  must  be  confessed  that  there  are  two  more 
important  factors  involved  in  the  solution  of  the  rural 
problem,  and  they  are  also  included  in  the  country 
Church  problem.  The  first  factor  is  that  of  leader- 
ship, and  the  second  is  that  of  discipleship.  Every- 
where in  rural  communities  there  is  a  woeful  lack  of 
leaders,  which  is  only  equaled  by  the  inability  and 
unwillingness  of  country  people  to  be  led.  An  awe- 
stricken  horse  will  die  in  preference  to  being  led  from 
a  burning  barn  by  his  master;  and  to-day  there  are 
thousands  of  rural  communities  in  America  that  are 
socially  dead,  because  their  people  will  not  follow  a 
leader. 


25 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

The  Rural  Problem  i*  Integral 

It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  the  rural  problem 
is  an  integral  one.  It  can  not  be  solved  by  the  re- 
habilitation of  any  one  of  its  fundamental  institu- 
tions. The  rural  institutions  are  so  interrelated  that 
the  decadence  of  one  will  have  a  depressing  effect 
upon  the  others;  and  the  reviving  of  one  will  tend  to 
enliven  the  remainder.  On  the  other  hand,  the  whole 
social  structure  can  not  be  set  aright  through  the 
awakening  and  redirecting  of  only  one  of  its  institu- 
tions. While  undertaking  to  solve  the  country  Church 
problem,  the  rural  school  and  the  rural  home  need 
serious  attention  and  must  not  be  neglected.  The 
rural  problem  needs  to  be  attacked  as  a  whole. 


26 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Economic  Relations  of  the  Farmer 
and  His  Church 

BY  WARREN  H.  WILSON,  PH.  D., 

Superintendent,  Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life,  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  New  York. 

IN  a  general  way,  the  farmer  and  his  Church  are 
related  through  the  working  of  four  principles.    First ' 
of  all,  the  Church  is  a  typical  ex- 
pression  of   the   farmer's   economic    , 
welfare.     Second,  the  improvement^ 
of  the  Church,  as  of  any  social  in- 
stitution,   is    made    only    from    the 
profit  of  farming.     It  can  not  be  ex- 
pected of  any  community  that  social 
institutions  be  improved  by  the  use 
of    borrowed    money.      Third,    the/ 
farmer  should  give  of  his  prosperity, 
measured  in  part  by  his  profit,  to 
the  support  of  the  Church.     Fourth,  the  ethical  dis-' 
cipline  which  is  essential  to  productive  and  profitable 
farming  is  the  traditional,  ethical  code  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

27 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

1.    The  Church  as  an   Index  to  Rural    Economic  Welfare  and 
Social  Life 

The  Church  is  the  expression  of  economic  welfare 
in  the  country.    It  may  be  called  a  register  of  the  well-, 
being  of  the  farmer.    Hn  America  the  Church  is  a  • 
free  institution.     Not  only  is  it  free  of  governmental 
control,  but  all  Churches  are  free  of  power  to  compel 
by  tradition.  )  The  people  in  America  are  not  autoch-/" 
thonous,  but 'have  come  to  the  soil  from  afary    They 
have  gone  through   the  enfranchising  experience  of 
migration.     Criticism  and  discussion  have  character-  "r  ^ 
ized  their  movement  from  one  land  to  another,  acros&s 
the  eeas  and  usually  from  State  to  State,1  Upon  such 
a  population   the  control   of   tradition   is   no  longer  ^ 
possible.      The   establishment   of    a    Church    among 
them,  granting  one  factor,  is  possible  only  with  their*" 
free  consent  ./That  one  factor  is  universal  education, 
which,  with  some  modification,  is  general  throughout    \S 
the  United  States. 

This  kind  of  a  Church,  riding  upon  the  waters  of 
rural  opinion  and  assent,  is  a  quick  and  sensitive 
register  of  the  welfare  of  the  people.  It  reflects  in  y' 
its  establishment  their  abundance  or  their  want.  It 
registers  in  its  form  of  organization  the  type  of  their 
mind  and  the  degree  to  which  organization  has  pro- 
ceeded in  their  social  life;  and,  more  than  all,  it  con- 
forms to  the  economic  type  to  which  the  farmer 
belongs. 

The  Four  Types  of  the  Historic  Country  Church. — 
This  conformity  of  the  country  Church  to  the  eco- 
nomic type  is  the  most  startling  evidence  of  the  play 

28 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

of  economic  forces  upon  it.  Indeed,  the  present  dis- 
turbance of  country  Churches  is  due,  primarily,  to 
the  transition  going  on  in  the  country  between  one 
type^and  another.  Broadly  speaking,  there  have  been 
four  types  of  farmer  in  America,  and  each  of  these 
types,  produced  by  the  economic  struggle  in  the 
country,  has  built  his  own  Church,  and  stamped  upon 
it  his  own  typical  character. 

The  pioneer  made  his  Church  individualistic,  emo- 
tional, like  himself.  Because  the  loneliness  of  the 
mountain  and  the  prairie  had  gone  into  his  soul,  he 
stated  it  in  his  doctrine  of  personal  salvation  and 
organized  it  in  his  methods  of  periodical  revival;  and 
he  built  it  into  his  buildings,  which  centered  around 
a  pulpit. 

The  household  farmer,  the  genial,  economic  type 
which  we  all  know,  whose  life  was  characterized  by 
the  perfection  of  the  economic  group  in  the  farm 
household,  had  his  Church  like  unto  himself.  The 
country  Church  in  his  day  was  a  cluster  of  families, 
and  it  had  no  general  interests,  typically  speaking. 
It  was  a  perfect  institution  in  that  it  rounded  out — 
in  leisurely  thinking,  formal  and  systematic  theological 
preaching,  and  genial,  wholesome  living — the  best 
ideals  of  the  Christian  world  at  that  time.  But  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  worshiper  in  the  pioneer 
church  would  have  thought  the  church  of  the  house- 
hold farmer  the  temple  of  worldliness.  The  house- 
hold farmer  would  have  been  restless  and  unfed  in 
the  violent,  emotional  atmosphere  of  the  pioneer 
church. 

29 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

The  third  economic  type  in  American  country  life 
js  the  speculative  and  exploiting  farmer.  He  was 
foreshadowed  in  the  household  farmer,  who  tilled  the 
soil  for  first  values  only.  There  is  little  to  choose 
between  this  and  exploitation.  The  speculative  period 
began  when  the  first  values  of  the  land  were  exhausted, 
and  when  the  Eastern  farmer  could  not  compete  with 
the  Western  tiller  of  virgin  soil.  About  1890,  after 
years  of  westward  migration,  when  the  free  lands  of 
the  West  were  gone,  a  price  was  put  upon  every 
acre,  broadly  speaking,  between  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
and  the  Missouri  River. 

The  period  of  speculative  farming  has  produced 
three  sub-types  of  farmers,  every  one  of  them  influ- 
ential in  the  religious  life  of  the  country.  They  are 
the  farm  tenant,  the  absentee  landlord,  and  the  re- 
tired farmer.  Ask  the  minister  in  the  Middle  West 
who  these  people  are,  and  he  will  tell  you  of  his  pro- 
foundest  anxiety.  Their  influence  upon  the  Church 
is  greater  than  that  of  theologians,  of  seminaries,  and 
of  evangelists.  Under  the  speculative  holding  of.  land, 
40  per  cent,  50  per  cent,  or  60  per  cent  of  the  farmers 
around  the  country  church  have  become  renters.  In 
the  villages  and  towns,  the  retired  farmer  is  usually 
an  unprogressive,  ungenerous,  and  disappointed  mem- 
ber of  the  Church,  while  the  absentee  landlord  occu- 
pies the  central  place  in  influence;  but,  so  far,  has 
evaded  all  proper  demands  of  the  Church  in  the 
country. 

The  Coming  Type  of  Country  Church. — The  fourth 
economic  type  of  countryman  is  the  scientific  and  or- 

30 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

ganized  farmer.  One  can  say  but  little  of  his  influ- 
ence, because  it  has  not  yet  become  mature.  It  is 
easy  to  see  that  he  too  will  build  a  church  like  unto 
himself.  It  will  have  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
"Institutional  Church.."  It  will  be  a  social  and  com- 
munity center.  It  will  have  an  intelligent  interest  in 
scientific  farming.  Its  minister  will  preach  in  terms 
of  the  farm,  and  its  organization  will  be  co-operative, 
in  obedience  to  the  new  spirit,  and  its  outlook  will  be 
world-widey/Such  Churches  are  already  well  organ- 
ized and  matured  in  certain  defined  regions,  in 
which  husbandry  is  also  mature,  scientific,  and  or- 
ganized. 

These  statements  illustrate  in  part  the  close  rela-     * 
tion  between  the  Church  in  a  free  commonwealth  and 
the  economic  life  of  the  people./Tt  is  so  intimate  that 
the  Church  may  be  called  the  thermometer  of  the  7} 
welfare  of  country  people.     This  statement  may  be 
expanded  in  numerous  ways,  for  the  Church  reflects., 
very  promptly  the  social  character  of  the  people,  being*' 
democratic  or  aristocratic,   conforming  to  the  tribe  ^ 
and  feud  spirit,  or  obeying  the  community  sense  as  it 
grows;    responsive    also    to    the    world -consciousness 
which  some  communities  have  acquired. 

Especially  is  the  Church  the  reflector  of  actual 
economic  prosperity,  in  contrast  to  financial  pros- 
perity, in  the  country.  The  definition  of  prosperity  A 
by  L.  H.  Bailey  in  his  book,  "The  Country  Life 
Movement,"  will  be  written  in  the  country  churches. 
He  says:  "My  reader  may  wish  to  know  what  con- 
stitutes a  good  farmer.  I  think  that  the  requirements 

31 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

of  a  good  farmer  are  at  least  four:  The  ability  to 
make  a  full  and  comfortable  living  from  the  land;  to 
rear  a  family  carefully  and  well;  to  be  of  good  service 
to  the  community;  to  leave  the  farm  more  productive 
than  it  was  when  he  took  it."  Such  prosperity  means 
a  permanent  population.  It  means  the  continuance 
of  the  same  people  in  the  community,  satisfied,  con- 
tented, and  industrious.  In  this  satisfaction  of  a  per- 
manent population,  the  Church  in  the  country  is  an 
essential  factor;  and  a  contented,  continuing  popula- 
tion expresses  its  mind  and  organizes  its  permanency 
in  the  country  Church. 

2.  Church  Improvement  Dependent  upon  Labor  Income 

The  second  economic  relation  between  the  Church 
and  the  farmer  is  one  which  characterizes  all  social 
institutions  in  the  country.  These  institutions  are 
supported  not  out  of  borrowed  money,  but  out  of 
the  profits,  or  "labor  income,"  of  the  farmer.  We 
are  hearing  a  great  deal  in  these  days  about  the  high 
price  of  farm  land.  It  is  cited  as  an  illustration  of  the 
farmer's  prosperity.  These  high  prices  are  not  due  in 
any  way  to  the  farmer's  labor  or  skill.  They  come  of 
themselves,  unsought,  and  they  may  depart  again  in 
spite  of  all  the  farmer  can  do.  Their  value  to  the 
farmer,  however,  is  in  the  increase  of  his  capital. 
Against  this  capital  he  can  borrow  for  the  improve- 
ment of  his  land.  They  enlarge  his  working  credit. 
On  this  credit  he  can  purchase  farm  machinery,  better 
stock,  and  fertilizer;  and  with  it  he  can  pay  for  labor, 
to  the  improvement  of  his  land  and  the  increase  of 

32 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

his  productive  property.    But  he  can  not,  because  his 
credit  is  better,  pay  for  better  social  institutions. 

The  improvement  of  social  institutions  comes 
solely  from  the  profit  of  the  farm.  This  is  written 
into  all  the  Old  Testament  laws,  which  ordered  that 
the  farmer  should  pay  to  the  support  of  religious  in- 
stitutions, "as  the  Lord  had  prospered  him."  No 
doubt  a  country  community  could  be  expected  to 
build  a  church  at  the  beginning  on  borrowed  money, 
because  such  a  church  would  be  a  necessity  of  life. 
Likewise  a  schoolhouse  might  be  built  by  mortgaging 
farm  land,  but  it  would  be  a  bare  institution,  suited 
to  the  service  of  mere  necessities.  Our  present-day 
problem  is  the  improvement  of  the  Church  and  of  the 
school.  The  increase  of  ministers'  salaries,  the  re- 
building of  country  churches,  the  consolidation  of 
country  schools — all  these~"rmprovements  wait  for  the 
increase  of  the  farmer's  "labor  income,"  by  which  I 
mean  the  net  profit  he  has  in  return  for  his  work. 

!'  The  Cause  of  the  Retarded  Country  Church. — The 
meaning  of  this  is  that  the  Church  in  the  country  is, 
above  all  other  institutions,  retarded  in  its  develop- 
ment until  the  farmer  shall  prosper.  It  can  not  go 
forward,  the  minister's  salary  can  not  be  adapted  to 
the  increased  expensiveness  of  living,  the  Church  can 
not  be  organized  as  an  effective  social  center,  housed 
in  a  new  and  elaborate  structure,  until  the  farmer  has 
an  income  adequate  to  this  increased  social  expendi- 
ture. The  rural  moralist  will  not  rightly  urge  the 
spending  of  borrowed  money  for  the  improvement  of 
social  machinery. 

3  33 


ONE  OF  THE  FARM  RESIDENCES 


ONE  OF  THS  CHURCH  BUILDINGS 

Types  of  buildings  of  four  institutions  in  a  rural  community 
where  the  labor  income  is  very  low.     They  are  faithful  indices 

34 


THE  HIGH  SCHOOL  BUILDING 

of  the  economic  prosperity  of  the  community  as  a  whole,  which 
is  absolutely  dependent  upon  the  land. 

35 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

This  explains  why  country  institutions  are  re- 
tarded in  many  places.  The  farmer  is  not  meaner 
than  other  classes  of  men.  Indeed,  he  is  more  inter- 
ested in  the  Church  in  the  average  instance  than  the 
townsman  is ;  but  he  has  too  small  an  income  from  his 
labor  to  feel  justified  in  an  expenditure  upon  better 
churches,  consolidated  schools,  and  stone  roads.  In 
the  State  of  Missouri,  on  good  farm  land,  the  general 
testimony  of  farmers  is  that  after  paying  the  legal 
rate  of  interest,  the  farmer  retains  merely  enough 
from  his  labor  to  pay  the  bills  at  the  store.  In  New 
York  State,  in  the  township  nearest  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, among  farmers  who  have  benefited  greatly 
by  the  service  rendered  them  by  the  College  of  Agri- 
culture, the  yearly  " labor  income"  among  six  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  farmers,  whose  affairs  were  inten- 
sively studied,  was  found  to  average  four  huritked 
and  twenty-three  dollars.  This  is  a  little  more  than 
one  dollar  and  twenty  cents  a  day.  If  these  men, 
who  are  accounted  so  prosperous,  have  an  income  so 
small,  how  are  farmers  in  other  sections  of  the  country 
to  be  estimated?  They  consider  themselves  unable 
to  pay  for  the  improvement  of  rural  social  institu- 
tions, including  the  Church.  The  reason  underlying 
this  opinion  is  what  I  have  stated,  that  such  improve- 
ments can  not  be  paid  for  with  borrowed  money: 
they  can  only  be  paid  for  out  of  profit — and  profit  is 
lacking. 

Iowa  is  accounted  a  prosperous  agricultural  State, 
but  the  editor  of  Wallace's  Farmer,  in  a  recent  ad- 
dress, publicly  declared  that  the  margin  of  profit  in 

36 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

Iowa  corresponds  to  the  margin  of  child  labor  on  the 
farm.  He  declared  that  the  "labor  income"  of  the 
farm  is  the  "labor  income"  earned  by  the  child.  This 
does  not  speak  well  for  the  prosperity  of  Iowa.  It 
would  not  be  worth  mentioning  here,  if  it  were  not 
a  highly  representative  condition.  There  are  more 
States  in  the  Union  with  a  lower  prosperity  than  there 
are  with  a  higher  prosperity,  as  compared  with  Iowa. 
It  is  difficult  in  Iowa  to  persuade  farmers  to  improve 
their  schools  and  to  better  their  roads.  It  is  difficult 
to  persuade  them  that  they  can  afford  any  rural 
social  improvements.  The  agent,  however,  of  ma- 
chinery, of  fertilizer,  or  the  seller  of  pedigreed  stock 
can  convince  the  Iowa  farmer  that  his  wares  are 
needed  on  the  farm.  In  a  rough  way,  the  Iowa 
farmer  is  right.  He  has  the  money  for  productive 
improvements,  because  his  land  value  has  increased, 
but  he  has  not  the  money  for  social  improvements, 
because  his  profit  has  not  increased  as  fast  as  his  land 
value.  In  order  to  have  social  improvements  in  the 
country,  the  farmer  who  is  able  to  survive  in  that 
region  and  to  maintain  himself  as  a  farmer,  must 
have,  above  the  normal  rate  of  interest  upon  the 
selling  value  of  hfs  land,  a  "labor  income"  that  is 
satisfactory  and  reasonably  permanent. 

An  Agricultural  Ministry? — For  this  reason  the 
Churches  in  the  country  are  bound  fast  to  the  eco- 
nomic improvement  of  farming.  They  have  an  im- 
mediate interest  in  it.  Those  Churches  have  pros- 
pered in  the  country  that  didnot  pay  their  ministers, 
but  required  them  to  earn  their  living  as  farmers, 

37 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

because  economic  prosperity  and  religious  prosperity 
were  embodied  in  the  same  man.  A  Menonite  bishop 
in  Pennsylvania  has  an  eighty-three-acre  farm,  from 
which  in  1911  he  took: 

1,300  bushels  corn,  at  75  cents. $775  00 

800  bushels  wheat,  at  95  cents 760  00 

Tobacco 953  00 

Dairy  products " 500  00 


Total $2,988  00 

His  labor  expense  for  this  was  about  $620.  Adding 
$750  to  this  for  a  6  per  cent  interest  on  the  invest- 
ment and  $150  for  fertilizer,  you  have  a  total  ex- 
pense of  $1,520,  which  leaves  a  balance  of  $1,468 
for  the  bishop's  own  " labor  income"  from  a  farm  of 
eighty-three  acres.  This  minister  is  an  ideal  repre- 
sentative of  the  natural  union  of  economic  and  re- 
ligious affairs.  We  have  here  not  a  relation,  but  an 
identity.  One  can  not  commend  Menonite  organiza- 
tions to  most  American  folk.  It  is  not  a  conscious 
organization,  but  a  traditional  one.  It  will  not  serve 
outside  the  range  of  this  tradition;  but  it  illustrates, 
for  the  moment,  the  value,  both  for  religious  tenacity 
and  for  productive  farming,  of  the  union  of  economic 
and  religious  aims. 

In  the  Mormon  Church,  also,  the  minister  has  no 
salary.  He  must  always  be  a  farmer.  On  the  same 
reasoning  the  Mormon  is  a  good  farmer,  because  the 
bishop  of  the  State  is,  in  his  own  person,  both  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  a  successful  religious  leader. 
He  can  not  be  the  one  without  the  other.  Without 

3S 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

commending  the  ingenuous  arrangement,  it  illustrates 
the   close   union   of  economic   success  with   religious 

power. 

3.    The  Lord's  Share  of  the  Farmer's  Profits 

/The  third  principle  is  that  the  farmer  should  give 
of  his  prosperity  to  the  support  of  the  Church.  ,  The 
argument  here  concerns  the  Church  in  existence  in 
the  country.  If  it  is  true,  as  stated  before,  that  the 
Church  has  a  close  relation  to  the  general  economic 
experience  of  the  people,  and  that  the  Church  is 
related  in  its  improvement  to  the  profit,  or  "labor 
income,"  of  the  typical  farmer  in  the  community, 
then  it  follows  that  the  farmer  should  recognize  his 
profit,  or  "labor  income,"  from  the  farm  as  a  religious 
thing. 

Farming  becomes,  wTith  the  serious  man,  an  ex- 
perience of  Divine  Providence.  The  man  who  tills 
the  soil  is  very  near  to  Nature,  and  induced  by  her 
many  phases  and  moods  to  think  upon  the  divine. 
He  is  constantly  contending,  both  in  antagonism  and 
in  co-operation,  with  the  forces  of  nature,  which  have 
always  reminded  the  human  being  of  the  unseen.  He 
can  not  plant  his  crop  except  there  be  faith  in  him. 
He  must  believe  in  the  orderly  process  of  nature  or 
he  can  not  do  the  work  of  a  farmer,  and  as  "we  learn 
by  doing,"  rather  than  by  what  is  told  us,  he  comes 
in  his  very  instincts,  and  certainly  in  all  his  thoughts, 
to  be  a  believer.  Nature  is  so  vast  and  her  many 
phases  so  new,  her  resources  unbounded,  so  that  a 
man  lives  in  wonder  and  moves  in  an  atmosphere  of 
humility.  The  danger  with  the  farmer  is  of  fatalism 

39 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

and  of  too  great  submission  of  himself.  The  almost 
invariable  experience  of  a  farmer  is  some  religious 
feeling  and  belief. 

There  is  needed,  however,  a  definite  cultivation  of 
country  people  in  the  matter  of  giving.  For  this 
reason  Biblical  writers  have  their  clear-cut  preach- 
ments in  regard  to  the  tithe.  The  Old  Testament 
expressed  definite  ideas  in  law  and  in  prophecy  along 
this  line.  There  was  no  doubt  of  their  sense  of  the 
intimate  relation  between  the  economic  and  the  re- 
ligious life  of  the  Hebrews.  The  writers  of  the  Old 
Testament  were  preaching  and  legislating  for  farmers. 
The  Psalms  are  countrymen's  songs.  They  bespeak 
the  intimacy  of  religious  life  with  landscape,  with 
forest,  and  with  field.  Above  all,  in  the  social  organ- 
ization of  the  Jews  it  was  written  into  their  very 
philosophy  and  enacted  into  their  laws,  that  he  who 
prospered  should  proportionately  give  to  the  support 
of  the  worship  of  God. 

In  our  time  these  principles  have  been  somewhat 
modified.  Persons  of  great  devotion;,  still  consider 
themselves  bound  to  give  a  tithe.  Their  influence  is 
greater  than  their  power  to  convince  others  and  to 
enlist  them  in  obedience  to  Old  Testament  law.  The 
two  methods  which  prevail  in  modern  Churches  are 
the  system  of  giving  in  envelopes,  and  what  is 
called  the  budget  system.  These  two  closely  re- 
lated methods  of  organizing  rural  prosperity  have 
great  value  in  the  training  of  country  people  in  the 
recognition  of  economic  prosperity  as  a  religious 
experience. 

40 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

The  Budget  System  of  Giving. — In  the  budget 
system,  the  Church  determines  in  a  democratic  way 
what  moneys  shall  be  spent  during  the  coming  year. 
This  has  the  effect  of  regulating  benevolence  and  puts 
the  Church  in  the  place  to  command,  as  well  as  to 
protect,  the  benevolence  of  the  community.  The 
total  amount  to  be  given  by  the  group  of  rural  workers 
is  then  distributed  among  them  according  to  their 
known  income  or  ability  to  pay.  This  assessment  is 
cheerfully  met  by  the  members  of  the  country  Church, 
if  only  it  be  arrived  at  in  a  democratic  and  effective 
manner. 

The  contribution  for  the  year  being  thus  deter- 
mined, envelopes  are  distributed  throughout  the  con- 
gregation, in  order  that  each  member  may  give  in  a 
uniform  receptacle,  for  each  Sunday  in  the  year,  a 
fraction  of  his  yearly  contribution.  By  a  duplex 
envelope  having  two  pockets,  the  member  is  given 
control  of  the  distribution  of  his  gifts  between  local 
benevolence  and  the  general  interests  supported  by 
the  Church.  There  can  not  be  a  better  method  de- 
vised than  this  for  the  gifts  of  a  group  of  people  who 
are  under  no  authority,  and  who  voluntarily  support 
out  of  their  profits  an  institution  closely  related  to 
their  living.  It  is  democratic,  simple,  flexible,  and 
gives  to  the  people  themselves  the  powers  of  recall 
and  of  initiative,  which  in  politics  are  very  slow  of 
enactment. 

4.  The  Traditional  Christian  Character  and  the  Farmer 

The  fourth  principle  is  that  the  moral  character 
of  the  productive  and  profitable  farmer  is  the  tradi- 

41 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

tional  Christian  character  taught  in  the  old-fashioned 
Church.  To  produce  and  to  thrive,  the  farmer  must  l 
be  austere,  honest,  and  industrious.  These  things 
have  been  taught  in  country  Churches  for  genera- 
tions. I  will  allow  that  in  the  present  generation, 
owing  to  the  disturbed  condition  of  country  life,  due 
to  reasons  I  have  already  named,  there  is  very  little 
rural  preaching.  We  are  reminded  by  a  great  agri- 
cultural teacher  that  the  best  of  our  preachers  need 
to  learn  "to  preach  in  terms  of  farm  life."  They  do 
not  do  so  at  present.  The  minister  who  goes  out  into  x 
the  country  to  preach  where  he  does  not  live,  from  a  * 
town  in  which  he  may  or  may  not  preach,  is  city- 
minded.  He  does  not  think  like  a  countryman.  He 
does  not  preach  the  productive,  profitable  virtues. 
He  talks  about  archaeology  and  eschatology.  J'He 
tries  to  fit  men  for  a  heaven  unseen  by  the  example 
of  generations  long  since  dead.  He  carries  with  him 
an  atmosphere  of  town  and  railroad  and  city  life. 
The  books  he  reads  are  about  urban  affairs.  The 
daily  newspaper,  which  he  studies  every  morning,  is 
printed  in  the  city,  and  probably  despises  the  country- 
man. But  this  is  a  temporary  condition.  Old- 
fashioned  preachers  used  to  dwell  on  honesty,  indus- 
try, austerity.  Let  us  look  at  these  for  a  moment  to 
see  what  of  value  they  have  for  productive  and  profit- 
able farming. 

The  Traditional  Virtues. — Only  an  honest  man  can 
do  well  in  the  country,  because  co-operation  is  not 
organized;  it  is  an  atmosphere  in  the  country,  and 
its  performances  are  not  obligatory;  they  are  volun- 

42 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

iary.  Country  people  will  not  co-operate  with  a  man  ,_ 
whom  they  do  not  respect  and  whose  integrity  is 
doubted.  They  will  not  give  him  work.  They  will 
not  lend  to  him  nor  borrow  from  him;  and  just  so  far 
as  a  man  is  dishonest  in  the  country,  he  is  by  so  much 
less  productive  and  less  able  to  command  that  in- 
stinctive co-operation,  without  which  good  farming 
is  impossible.  In  spite  of  the  American  unwillingness 
to  co-operate  in  formal  ways,  agriculture  is  essentially 
co-operative  in  informal,  instinctive,  and  mutual  ways. 
This  is  a  constant,  daily  experience  of  the  farm,  so 
that  the  Church  in  the  country  must  teach  and  must 
illustrate  the  domination  of  honesty  over  self-interest 
in  the  farmer.  Especially  is  this  true  in  the  country 
community,  because  every  man's  motives,  as  well  as 
his  actions,  are  there  transparent.  Disguise  is  im- 
possible and  hypocrisy  is  not  attempted.  Every  man 
lives  before  the  eyes  of  his  fellows,  and  character  is 
accurately  known. 

In  the  same  way  the  Church  must  teach  industry,  f 
This  is  also  a  part  of  the  traditional  message  of  the  (} 
Christian    Church.      The    nations    who    are    to-day 
called  Christian  are  more  nearly  free  from  idleness 
than  any  peoples  in  the  world ;  and  it  is  in  large  part 
due  to  the  organization  of  economic  response,  by  re- 
ligious   doctrine    and    by    homiletic    appeal.       The 
country  minister,  therefore,  who  cares  for  the  country,   - 
sees  the  necessity  of  continual  culture  in  the  labor  of 
the  farm.    As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  no  other  sphere  of 
modern    life    is    industry    so    universal,    making   due 
allowance  for  local  difference,  as  it  is  in  country  life. 

43 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

But  the  most  productive  of  all  traits  in  the  country 
is  austerity.  "All  good  farmers  are  austere,"  says 
the  economist,  and  he  defines  austerity  to  mean  "the 
producing  of  much  and  the  consuming  of  little."  u^ 
Generally,  religious  life  in  the  country  has  this 
austerity.  It  enters  into  all  the  establishments,  es- 
pecially rural.  This  austerity  is,  however,  not  a 
preachment,  but  first  of  all  it  is  a  practice.  It  grows 
out  of  the  grim  struggle  with  the  soil — the  necessity 
of  securing  enough  of  what  the  soil  will  produce  for 
its  tiller,  and  an  abundance  wherefrom  he  can  secure 
not  merely  a  product,  but  a  profit.  As  farming  be- 
comes increasingly  profitable,  it  becomes  increasingly 
austere,  because  profit  is  got  from  the  producing  of 
more  and  the  consuming  of  ever  less.  It  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  this  austerity  has  taken  in  our  time  j 
the  form  of  expelling  from  the  country  all  play  ac- 
tivities, and  excluding  in  a  marked  degree  from  the 
country  community  degenerate  individuals  and  irreg- 
ular types,  who  are  in  doubt  about  their  devotion  to 
productive  work. 

This  austerity  has  crystallized  into  definite  re- 
ligious forms,  for  to  be  austere  means  that  the  men 
shall  rule,  man  being  the  producer  and  woman  being 
the  consumer.  It  means  also  that  the  old  men  shall 
rule  over  the  young  men,  the  women,  and  the  chil- 
dren. This  means  a  government  of  elders,  and  rural  - 
religion  is  generally  elder-ruled.  In  the  Churches  in 
America  that  have  survived  upon  the  soil,  or  that 
have  been  born  from  the  soil,  the  governing  figure  is 
the  "elder,"  and  the  "elder"  is  an  economic  type. 

44 


"GOD'S  BARN" 

The  Church  organization  here  at  one  time  paid  a  minister  a 
decent  salary  of  $1,200.  Doubtless  the  structure  was  built,  and 
for  a  short  time  maintained,  on  "borrowed"  capital;  i.  e.,  the 
amount  contributed  by  the  farmers  to  sustain  this  Church  was 
at  first  more  than  the  "labor  income."  Finally  the  Church 
society  disbanded,  the  building  abandoned,  and  subsequently 
used  for  a  barn. 

The  nearest  church  to  this  community  is  four  and  one-half 
miles  distant.  Hundreds  of  people  were  at  one  time  served  by 
this  deserted  church,  who  still  might  be  served  by  a  church 
located  here.  There  is  a  social  and  spiritual  need  for  a  Church 
organization  in  this  particular  community,  but  before  one  may 
be  maintained,  there  must  be  better  farming,  in  order  that  the 
labor  "income"  may  be  increased.  Austerity,  combined  with 
intelligent  industry,  will  be  much-needed  virtues  in  the  farmers 
of  this  region.  An  agricultural  and  home  arts  training  for  the 
oncoming  generation  may  be  the  condition  for  the  best  realiza- 
tion of  these  virtues  and  the  blessings  resulting  from  a  good  rural 
Church  organization. 

45 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 


l 


Projected  into  a  religious  form,  he  stands  for 
that  is,  the  producing  of  much  and  the  consuming  of 
little.     His  austere  doctrine  and  grim,  hard  views  of 
life  are  the  religious  and  moral  corollaries  of  the  stern  ^ 
struggle  in  which  he  has  dominated  his  religion,  his  (j 
household,   and  his  land,   with  a  productive  and  a    , 
thrifty  mind. 

The  Marginal  Rural  People  are  Representative. — 
These  four  principles  may  not  exhaust  the  theme, 
but  they  are  elements  in  the  bond  of  union  which 
holds  the  Church  in  the  country  to  the  life  of  the 
people  there.  Only  one  thing  more  need  be  said. 
The  point  of  attachment,  by  which  the  economic  life  V 
is  related  to  the  religious,  is  in  the  marginal  people 
of  the  country.  What  is  here  said  may  not  be  obvi- 
ously true  of  the  prosperous  farmer,  and  it  may  have 
no  bearing  upon  the  degenerate  or  indolent  farmers 
of  depleted  sections.  It  is  meant  to  be  a  description 
of  the  religious  and  economic  union  of  the  life  of 
people  barely  able  to  survive.  /These  people  on  the 
margin  of  rural  prosperity  are  the  typical  and,  there-  * 
fore,  they  are  the  representative,  people  in  the 
country/  When  one  speaks  of  the  country  community, 
he  must  measure  every  word  by  its  powder  to  describe 
the  surviving  type;  and  the  man  and -the  family  who 
can  barely  get  a  satisfactory  living  in  the  country— 
they  represent  all  classes  there.  By  their  condition 
are  institutions  made,  and  out  of  their  life  the  com- 
mon experience  comes.  What  is  true  of  them  is  com- 
mon to  all.  They  live  the  representative  life.  Others 
have  special  and  peculiar  privilege,  or  special  and 

46 


ECONOMIC  RELATIONS  TO  THE  CHURCH 

peculiar  suffering.  '  Institutions  are  not  made  of 
things  special  or  peculiar,  but  they  are  built  out  of 
representative  conditions.  J  The  representative  life  in 
any  community  is  the  life  of  people  barely  able  to 
survive  with  satisfaction  in  that  community.^^-* 

These,  the  marginal  people,  aspire  for  a  living. 
Their  ambitions  are  measured  by  a  desire  for  the 
necessities  of  life.  Their  prayers  are  breathed  for 
feed  and  shelter,  for  a  living  wage,  and  for  the  com- 
mon, universal  necessities — education,  music,  news, 
social  intercourse,  and  hope. /This  prayer  of  itself  is 
the  deepest  of  all  religious  aspirations.  It  is  a  desire  u 
for  the  satisfaction  of  economic  wants,  and  in  the 
Bible  of  the  ordinary  man  the  most  precious  of  all  ' 
passages  is  that  written,  it  is  said,  by  a  countryman, 
in  which  he  declares  that  his  religion  is  a  belief  that 
God  satisfies  the  economic  wants,  for  he  says,  "The 
Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want!" 


47 


CHAPTER  III 


The  Limitations,  the  Opportunities,  and 

the  Possibilities  of  the  Country 

Church 

BY  MATTHEW  BROWN  McNmr,  M.  E.,  B.  A.,  B.  D., 

Field  Assistant,  Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life,  Board  of 

Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 

States  of  America,  New  York. 

1.    The  Limitations  of  the  Country  Church 

THE  limitations  of  the  country  Church  are  many, 
as  every  one  who  has  observed  the  situation  knows 
full  well.  What  are  these  limitations?  It  is  impor- 
tant to  know.  An  institution,  like  a 
person,  may  have  faults  and  not 
know  it — defects  that  could  be  over- 
come. 

It  is  a  great  kindness  to  any 
person  to  have  some  faithful  friend 
to  point  out  to  him  his  shortcomings. 

"O,  wad  some  power  the  giftie  gi'e  us 
To  see  oursel's  as  others  see  us! 
It  wad  frae  monie  a  blunder  free  us 
REV.  MR.  McNUTT  And  foo]ish  notion." 

As  the  good  angel  of  the  manse  has  mirrored  to 
many  a  Dominie  the  little  peculiarities  that  would 
hinder  his  greatest  usefulness,  and  thereby  help  him 

48 


THE  APPROACH  TO  MT.  CARMEL  CHURCH 


THE  MT.  CARMEL  CHURCH 
49 


THE  INTERIOR  OF  MT.  CARMEL  CHURCH 

FIFTY  YEARS  BEHIND  THE  TIMES.— NOTES. 

The  road  here  traveled  by  Christians  is  surely  sufficiently 
rugged  to  cause  them  to  walk  circumspectly. 

The  membership  of  Mt.  Carmel  Church  about  three  years 
ago  was  seven.  A  "big  meetin'"  during  the  subsequent  winter 
doubled  the  membership,  and  there  was  great  rejoicing  at  Mt. 
Carmel.  A  distant  relative  of  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  little 
church,  who  lived  in  a  neighboring  county,  was  employed  to 
preach  at  Mt.  Carmel  every  other  Sunday.  It  was  agreed  to  pay 
the  minister  five  dollars  each  preachin'  Sunday;  but  there  were 
those  in  the  Church  who  soon  became  of  the  opinion  that  too 
much  of  the  Church's  money  was  going  to  one  family — the  family 
to  which  the  preacher  belonged.  A  faction  of  nearly  half  the 
congregation  was  formed,  which  demanded  that  another  minister 
should  be  secured — one  who  did  not  have  any  ties,  either  by 
blood  or  marriage,  with  the  family  in  question.  The  result  was 
a  split  in  the  Church,  which  was  already  too  weak  for  effective 
service  against  sin. 

There  are  many  Mt.  Carmels  throughout  the  land.  Rural 
people  must  learn  to  co-operate  socially  as  well  as  economically; 
and  co-operation  may  frequently  mean  self-denial  on  the  part  of 
families  and  individuals. 

50 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

to  overcome  them,  the  writer  of  this  chapter,  in  the 
same  spirit,  would  call  attention  to  the  limitations  of 
the  country  Church. 

Antiquated  Buildings  and  Equipment. — In  the  first 
place,  the  average  country  church  building  and  its 
equipment  are  fifty  years  behind  the  times,  and  are 
wholly  inadequate  to  serve  the  modern  needs  of  the 
rural  people.  There  stands  the  little  old-fashioned 
church  of  our  grandfathers  in  the  midst  of  the  farmer's 
up-to-date  machinery  and  other  modern  equipment. 
If  our  grandparents  were  again  to  return  to  earth, 
these  little  old  churches,  which  they  built  with  their 
hard-earned  savings,  would  be  about  all  they  would 
recognize  among  the  many  new  things  they  would 
find  here  now,  unless  it  would  be  the  "little  red 
schoolhouses."  And  I  fear  they  would  miss,  most  of 
all,  much  of  the  piety  and  the  spirit  of  devotion  and 
worship  that  in  their  day  was  so  common.  Should 
any  of  these  dear  old  grandfathers  on  this  return  trip 
go  to  the  garret  and  haul  out  an  ancient  grain  cradle 
and  start  to  cut  a  swath  around  that  sixty-acre  oat- 
field,  the  grandson  would  think  he  had  lost  his  mind. 
But  would  not  the  aged  saint  have  just  as  much 
reason  for  thinking  that  his  son  was  "out  of  his  head" 
when  he  attempts  to  reap  a  twentieth-century  spiritual 
harvest  with  all  the  old-time  church  equipment? 

Some  friends  told  me  recently  of  a  Children's  Day 
service  held  in  a  country  church  located  in  the  great 
corn  belt  in  Central  Illinois,  where  there  is  probably 
the  richest  soil  in  the  world.  At  this  service  eleven 
touring  cars,  with  at  least  a  total  valuation  of  $10,000, 

51 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

drove  up  around  that  little  old  church,  which  would 
hardly  bring  $200,  furnishings  and  all,  at  public 
auction.  The  writer  saw  it.  The  seats  were  nothing 
but  straight  board  benches,  and  were  said  by  one  of 
the  ladies  to  be  "regular  back-breakers."  The  build- 
ing was  bare  and  unattractive  within  and  without. 

There  was  little  money  here  for  Church  support 
— $300  a  year  for  half  the  time  of  an  aged,  broken- 
down  minister,  who  lived  and  preached  also  in  a 
village  seven  miles  distant,  but  who  had  just  re- 
signed. This  is  pathetic.  Would  that  it  were  an  ex- 
ceptional case!  But  there  are  many  such  rural 
churches. 

Inadequate  Financial  Support. — The  writer  talked 
with  a  country  minister  in  the  community  adjoining 
the  one  just  considered,  who  was  serving  four  such 
country  Churches.  He  said  he  was  going  to  resign 
his  charge  in  the  fall,  because  his  salary  did  not 
afford  him  a  living. 

A  second  limitation,  therefore,  is  inadequate  fi- 
nancial support.  Outside  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  largest  cities  in  the  United  States,  there  are 
seventy-five  thousand  ministers  who  receive  an  aver- 
age salary  each  of  $573  a  year.  This  is  not  a  living 
wage  at  the  present  high  cost  of  living.  It  is  no 
more  than  the  common,  unskilled  laborer  is  paid, 
who  requires  no  special  preparation  for  his  work.  It 
is  very  much  lower  than  is  paid  for  any  other  kind  of 
skilled  labor,  or  in  other  professions.  Railroad  en- 
gineers get  an  average  salary  of  $1,200  a  year,  and 
policemen  $1,000.  No  man  can  be  efficient  and  dis- 

52 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

charge  the  many  duties  incumbent  upon  the  country 
minister  to-day  on  the  wage  that  the  rural  preacher 
receives  at  the  present  time.  It  is  simply  impossible. 

Inefficient  Leadership. — Lack  of  efficient  leadership 
is  another  limitation  of  the  country  Church.  In  the 
first  place,  our  country  ministers  are  not  properly 
trained,  either  in  colleges  or  the  seminaries,  for  the 
work  in  country  parishes.  We  may  go  back  still 
further,  and  include  the  preparatory  and  the  public 
schools.  There  is  little  of  the  real  country  mind  and 
spirit  and  life  in  any  of  them.  The  subject  matter 
taught  is  either  foreign  to  the  country,  or  it  is  taught 
in  such  a  way  as  to  disconnect  it  from  the  farm.  The 
proof  of  these  statements  is  found  in  the  fact  that  S3 
few  men  and  women  trained  in  the  higher  institutions 
of  learning  seek  country  positions  as  their  first  choice, 
with  the  intention  of  remaining  there  permanently. 

The  trend  of  the  rural  minister  and  teacher,  as 
they  gain  experience  and  become  proficient,  is  ever 
away  from  the  rural  church  and  the  rural  school, 
first  to  the  larger  town  and  finally  to  the  city,  the 
ever-enticing  goal  of  "greater  opportunity"  and 
"wider  field  of  usefulness,"  so-called.  It  is  bad 
training  that  puts  such  foolishness  into  men's  minds. 
The  back-to-the-country  Church  movement  among 
ministers  comes  only  when  they  or  some  of  their 
family  break  in  health — when  there  is  lack  of  physical 
capacity  for  hard  work. 

Weaknesses  of  the  College  and  the  Seminary. — The 
average  college  and  seminary  professor  knows  little 
about  the  country  at  first-hand;  and  he  cares  less,  or 

53 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

he  would  take  more  interest  in  the  rural  people.  (1 
have  no  grudge  against  any  of  them.)  Most  of  these 
men  have  been  reared  on  the  farm;  but  the  country 
they  now  know  is  the  country  of  their  youth,  which 
is  a  very  different  thing.  Perhaps  they  have  been 
back  to  the  farm  a  few  times  for  a  vacation.  If  they 
have  studied  the  country  at  all,  it  has  been  a  study 
about  the  country,  rather  than  the  country  itself. 
How  can  these  gentlemen,  at  such  long  range,  there- 
fore, either  inspire  young  men  and  women  to  serve 
positions  in  the  rural  districts  or  train  them  to  be 
efficient  in  that  service? 

Certain  theological  professors  maintain  that  it  is 
not  for  them  to  teach  men  to  farm.  There  is  little 
danger  of  their  doing  that,  but  there  is  great  danger 
of  their  training  young  men  away  from  the  farm 
who  are  needed  in  the  service  of  the  country  people. 

Our  seminaries  and  colleges  will  have  done  some- 
thing for  the  country  Church  if  they  so  impress  young 
men  that  they  will  consider  a  country  field  of  labor 
worthy  of  a  life-work,  the  same  as  a  foreign  mission 
field  or  a  position  in  a  city.  But  they  can  do  much 
more  than  this.  They  can  instruct  their  students  how 
to  preach  and  teach  the  truth  to  country  people  in 
terms  of  country  life — how  to  open  up  to  the  farmer 
the  book  of  Nature  in  such  a  way  that  he  may  see 
God  in  it  and  through  it,  that  he  may  come  to  a 
better  understanding  of  the  life  and  the  forces  about 
him,  and  how  to  use  these  forces  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. Besides,  ,a  study  and  discussion  of  rural  condi- 
tions and  institutions  in  seminary  and  college  would 

54 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

be  an  invaluable  aid  to  those  who  expect  to  work  and 
live  in  the  country.  A  study  of  the  country  life  itself, 
its  joys  and  sorrows,  its  pleasures  and  habits,  its  pos- 
sibilities, its  hopes,  and  its  compensations,  would  be 
a  real  asset  to  the  country  minister. 

Country  Church  administration  would  be  another 
appropriate  theme  for  study.  It  is  too  much  to  ex- 
pect of  the  country  minister  that  he  shall  solve  all 
these  things  for  himself  after  he  has  begun  work  on 
his  field.  He  has  something  else  to  do  then.  I  do 
not  mean  that  the  country  minister  does  not  need  all 
the  training  he  usually  receives,  but  that  he  needs 
something  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  college  and 
seminary  courses. 

The  Need  of  Readjusting  Ecclesiastical  Adminis- 
tration.— If  our  rural  ministers  were  better  fitted  for 
their  work,  they  could  not  render  their  best  service 
under  our  present  system  of  country  Church  admin- 
istration. 

As  a  rule,  our  country  Churches  are  served  by 
ministers  who  live  in  towns  several  miles  distant. 
Each  has  two  or  perhaps  three  or  more  places  at  which 
to  preach.  The  different  communities  served  by  a 
single  minister  quite  likely  present  different  condi- 
tions which  require  different  methods.  He  has  not 
much  time  to  spend  in  shepherding  his  country  flock, 
and  his  supervision  must  of  necessity  be  very  general 
in  its  character.  He  really  does  not  get  much  ac- 
quainted with  his  country  folk.  He  is  not  of  them. 
He  lives  elsewhere.  Our  country  Churches  will  never 
be  rightly  served  until  they  can  have  resident  pastors. 

55 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Lack  of  co-operation  among  the  different  denomi- 
nations and  with  -other  rural  institutions  is  another 
thing  that  limits  the  usefulness  of  the  country 
Church, 

So  often  we  find  a  number  of  weak  Churches  in  a 
rural  community,  each  struggling  along  with  its  own 
little  program,  leaving  the  bulk  of  the  work  needing 
to  be  done  still  untouched.  Sometimes  petty  jeal- 
ousies are  found  lurking  between  one  denomination 
and  another,  making  any  kind  of  community  work 
impossible.  As  a  result  of  these  things,  the  Church 
presents  to  the  world  no  solid  front,  either  for  evan- 
gelizing or  teaching  the  world,  or  for  defense  against 
false  doctrines  and  other  evils.  Many  an  inroad  has 
thus  been  made  through  the  Christian  ranks  by  the 
evil  one,  while  the  disciples  cf  Christ  tarry  to  settle 
some  ecclesiastic  difficulty. 

Lack  of  Vision. — What  the  Church  in  the  country 
has  failed  to  accomplish  may  in  most  cases  be  traced 
to  a  lack  of  vision.  For,  as  the  Scriptures  say,  "Where 
there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish."  "The  blind 
can  not  lead  the  blind."  Leaders  without  vision  are 
like  dead  men;  they  make  no  demands — except  to  be 
buried — cither  upon  their  constituency  or  upon  the 
Almighty,  who  is  able  and  willing  to  do  more  for  His 
people  than  they  can  think  cr  ask. 

Rural  preachers  often  do  not  ask  and  work  for 
the  biggest  and  best  things.  They  see  the  farmer 
struggling  for  existence — often  living  the  life  of  a 
slave-— and  have  nothing  to  offer;  cr  where  the 
farmer  is  succeeding,  they  allow  him  to  build  great 

56 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

houses  and  barns,  stock  his  farm  with  blooded  cattle, 
put  in  the  latest  machinery  on  the  market,  buy  his 
neighbor's  farm,  or  purchase  an  automobile,  and 
never  present  to  him  the  proposition  of  a  better 
church,  a  more  comfortable  home,  a  more  efficient 
school,  or  a  richer  and  more  wholesome  community 
life. 

The  young  people,  in  endless  procession,  are  al- 
lowed to  march  away  from  the  farm  to  fill  city  posi- 
tions without  ever  having  been  impressed  with  the 
needs  and  possibilities  of  life  on  the  farm. 

The  recreational  facilities  of  the  rural  people  are 
often  either  neglected  or  they  are  turned  over  to 
commercialized  agencies,  which  arc  frequently  de- 
frauding and  demoralizing.  Little  effort  is  made  to 
develop  the  home  talent  of  the  community.  There 
is  meager  opportunity  for  social  intercourse.  Life  on 
the  farm  grows  more  and  more  monotonous.  There 
is  nothing  left  but  work,  work,  work!  The  people 
grow  tired  and  restless,  or  they  have  n't  enough  life 
left  in  them  to  desire  anything  better.  They  want  to 
get  away  from  the  farm,  and  they  go  by  the  thousands. 
Who  can  blame  them  for  going?  The  country  Church 
needs  a  new  vision  of  its  responsibility  in  the  social 
life  of  its  people. 

Summary  of  Limitations. — Lack  of  vision,  inade- 
quate leadership,  failure  of  adjustment,  a  mistrained 
ministry,  poor  equipment,  and  insufficient  financial 
support  constitute,  in  my  judgment,  the  most  serious 
limitations  of  the  country  Church  of  to-day. 


57 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

2.    The  Opportunities  of  the  Country  Church 

Although  the  limitations  of  the  rural  Church  are 
many,  its  opportunities  and  avenues  for  service  are 
more.  Indeed,  the  opportunities  for  moral  and  re- 
ligious service  in  the  open  country  are  so  numerous, 
and  the  need  so  pressing,  that  they  create  a  responsi- 
bility of  such  great  proportions  that  the  limitation- 
bound  Church  is  all  but  paralyzed  by  it.  The  rural 
Church  machinery  can  not  move  the  great  social 
burden  that  is  crushing  it.  Let  us  consider  some  of 
the  most  important  opportunities. 

Co-operation  of  Rural  School  and  Country  Church. 
— As  to  the  co-operation  with  ether  rural  institutions, 
the  country  Church  has  been  slow  to  see  and  to  grasp 
its  opportunities  to  place  the  leaven  and  to  inspire. 

While  the  Church  stands  for  education,  she  has 
been  content  to  see  the  country  school  worry  along 
at  a  snail's  gait,  making  little  progress  in  half  a 
century.  The  majority  of  our  country  schools  are 
still  taught  by  untrained  teachers,  at  a  wage  not 
larger  than  is  paid  to  a  common  day-laborer,  with 
very  poor  equipment,  and  often  amid  surroundings 
and  conditions  that  endanger  the  health  of  the  pupils, 
and  which  tend  to  corrupt  their  morals. 

Has  not  the  Church  a  mission  to  inspire  something 
better  for  the  education  of  our  country  boys  and  girls 
than  these  poorly-equipped  and  poorly-taught  public 
schools,  which  are  now  so  common  in  our  rural  dis- 
tricts? The  deficiency  of  the  rural  system  of  educa- 
tion is  an  opportunity  of  the  rural  religious  organiza- 
tion for  a  most  helpful  service. 

58 


INTERIOR  OF  PLEASANT  HILL  SCHOOL 
Pleasantness  all  gone. 


THE  TYPICAL  EQUIPMENT  OF  THOUSANDS  OF  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

Little  more  than  reading,    righting,  and  'rithmetic  can  be 
taught  with  the  equipment  of  this  school. 

59 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Championing  Rural  Life. — Farmers  form  a  class 
far  more  numerous  than  those  engaged  in  any  other 
industry  or  business..  The  world  is  dependent  for 
the  necessities  of  life  upon  the  farmer's  products;  yet 
his  cause  as  a  social  being  and  citizen  of  the  State  is 
the  last  to  be  championed.  The  city  boys  and  girls 
are  protected  by  law;  but  whoever  heard  of  a  child- 
labor  law  being  enforced  for  country  children?  Work- 
ing and  living  conditions  have  been  investigated  in 
city  homes, .  stores,  schools,  shops,  factories,  and 
mines.  Laws  have  been  framed  to  prohibit  abuses 
and  inhumane  treatment  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, but  too  often  they  are  not  regarded  on  the 
farm  and  in  farm  homes.  Are  there  no  such  abuses 
in  the  country,  or  are  the  country  people  so  abun- 
dantly able  to  take  care  of  themselves?  That  there  is 
frequent  abuse  of  labor,  of  the  birthright  of  children, 
of  sanitation,  of  morals,  of  civic  righteousness,  of 
marital  relations,  of  social  intercourse,  and  many 
other  infractions  of  common  decency,  can  not  be 
successfully  denied.  A  potent  country  Church  might 
do  much  to  remedy  these  conditions  that  are  now 
so  often  tolerated  in  rural  communities. 

Church  Mediator  ship  in  Securing  Co-operation. — 
Some  effort  has  been  made  at  class  organization 
among  farmers,  but  as  yet  it  has  only  begun.  The 
principle  of  co-operation  is  a  Christian  principle,  but 
as  yet  it  has  been  little  developed  among  the  millions 
of  people  who  till  the  soil.  The  rural  Church  has  a 
great  mission  to  perform  in  bringing  the  country 
people  up  to  the  point  where  they  can  and  will  work 

60 


THE  DRINKING  CUP  AT  HEN  PECK  SCHOOL 


A  CROWDED,  DUSTY  CORNER  OF  A  RURAL  SCHOOL  WITH  AN  OPEN  WATER 
BUCKET  AND  A  COMMON  DRINKING  CUP 


61 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

together  in  natural  co-operation  for  their  own  good 
and  for  the  good  of  the  whole  race.  A  closer  co-oper- 
ation between  country  and  city  also  would  be  mutually 
helpful. 

The  spirit  of  suspicion  that  so  commonly  exists 
among  farmers  is  frequently  mentioned  as  one  of  the 
chief  causes  that  prevents  them  from  working  in  co- 
operation with  themselves  or  with  city  people.  Truth, 
honesty,  and  uprightness  are  virtues  that  the  Church 
inculcates  in  its  members,  and  all  true  Christians 
must  practice  them.  Let  the  country  Church  be 
vigilant  in  regard  to  its  membership.  When  member- 
ship in  a  Christian  Church  becomes  a  reasonably  sure 
guarantee  of  the  establishment  of  these  virtues  in  the 
thoughts  and  actions  of  the  individuals  so  favored, 
suspicion  among  those  who  are  blessed  by  Church 
relationship  must  become  practically  nil.  Either  vol- 
untary or  forced  fidelity  to  Christian  principles  will 
thus  become  the  corner-stone  of  all  forms  of  co- 
operation among  those  country  people  who  associate 
themselves  with  the  prepotent  country  Church.  On 
the  other  hand,  a  similar  moral  guarantee  in  respect 
to  the  members  of  city  Churches  would  make  possible 
an  economic  co-operation  between  the  rural  Church 
membership  as  a  producer  of  raw  materials  and  the 
city  Church  membership  as'  the  consumer  of  such 
materials;  and  the  conditions  for  the  exchange  of 
manufactured  articles  on  a  co-operative  basis  in  the 
reverse  order  would  be  equally  favorable.  Doubtless 
many  economic  co-operative  associations  for  the 
mutual  benefit  of  country  and  city  people  might  be 

62 


A  HOG  LOT,  WHICH  CONTAINED  ABOUT  FIFTY  HOGS,  JUXTAPOSED  THIS 
NARROW  RURAL  SCHOOL  LOT 


63 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

formed  through  the  mediation  of  Church  organiza- 
tions. The  rural  Church  has  here  a  great  mission  in 
making  right  conditions,  in  pointing  out  the  way,  in 
encouragement,  and  in  initiation.  This  done,  and 
the  country  Church  will,  to  a  large  degree,  have 
measured  up  to  her  duty  in  providing  for  the  eco- 
nomic welfare  of  her  people ;  for  no  one  will  claim  that 
the  Church  should  become  an  active  commercial  or 
business  agent. 

Readjustment. — Times  are  ever  changing,  which 
bring  forth  new  needs  and  conditions.  To  meet  these 
new  demands  successfully,  institutions  must  ever  be 
changing  their  methods  and  their  equipment.  The 
business  world  has  recognized  this,  and  has  accommo- 
dated its  methods  to  the  changes.  City  institutions, 
including  the  Church,  have  kept  up  with  the  times. 

While  the  farmer  has  adopted  the  new  things  in 
farming,  he  has  been  quite  content  to  move  along  the 
old  lines  with  reference  to  his  Church  and  his  school. 
Whatever  has  come  to  him  of  the  new  civilization  has 
been  forced  upon  him  from  the  outside,  rather  than 
developed  within  him  by  natural  processes  at  work 
in  his  own  community.  He  neglects  the  new  adorn- 
ments and  equipments  because  he  has  not  been  edu- 
cated to  appreciate  them.  The  farmer  buys  a  piano 
at  the  solicitation  of  an  agent,  but  may  have  little 
musical  taste  or  appreciation.  For  this  reason  we 
find  many  musical  instruments  in  rural  homes,  but 
few  players;  books  with  few  readers;  pictures  and 
ether  home  decorations,  with  little  knowledge  or  ap- 
preciation of  art. 

64 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

Life  on  the  farm  has  changed  as  elsewhere.  There 
is  a  different  kind  of  social  life  needed  now  in  the 
country  from  what  our  fathers  had.  There  are  many 
new  needs  and  demands.  The  Church,  to  minister 
to  these  new  conditions,  should  adopt  suitable  meth- 
ods. But  in  a  multitude  of  instances  the  old  methods 
are  still  in  use,  and  these  are  not  successful.  There 
is  a  new  type  of  country  Church  needed  now.  The 
country  Church  must  adjust  itself  to  modern  con- 
ditions. 

Summary  of  Opportunities. — While  the  many  op- 
portunities of  the  country  Church  have  by  no  means 
been  exhausted,  the  chief  ones  have  been  briefly  con- 
sidered, and  these  are:  co-operation  with  the  other 
social  institutions  of  the  open  country,  the  champion- 
ing of  rural  life,  mediatorship  in  rural  business  and 
industrial  evolution,  and  readjustment  to  the  new 
regime  in  rural  affairs,  to  say  nothing  of  the  oppor- 
tunities for  rural  evangelization,  which  is  fully  dis- 
cussed in  Chapter  X. 

3.    The  Possibilities  of  the  Country  Church 

Turning  now  to  the  third  part  of  my  subject,  I 
would  write  hopefully  and  enthusiastically.  I  am  not 
among  those  who  attach  little  importance  to  the 
Church  of  the  country  folk,  or  who  believe  it  has 
outlived  its  usefulness. 

The  first  step  towards  showing  and  realizing  the 
possibilities  of  the  rural  Church  is  to  get  a  vision  of 
the  country  life  of  to-day,  and  of  what  is  to  be  done 
for  the  country  people. 

5  65 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

There  is  something  vastly  more  needed  than  to 
hold  a  preaching  service  once  a  week,  or  once  a 
month,  as  in  some  cases,  and  to  conduct  a  Sunday 
school.  Thousands  of  rural  Churches  have  failed  in 
recent  years  under  such  a  program,  good  as  it  might 
seem.  There  was  a  time  when  a  single  program  of 
preaching  sufficed.  Not  even  a  Sunday  school  was 
needed.  Life  in  the  country  was  simple  in  those 
early  days.  Knowledge  of  people  and  things  had  not 
expanded.  My  mother  has  often  told  me  that  read- 
ing, writing,  and  spelling  were  all  the  branches  taught 
in  the  country  school  when  she  was  a  girl.  But  some 
people  feel  now  that  they  can  hardly  afford  to  buy 
all  the  text-books  which  our  children  are  expected  to 
study  in  school.  Knowledge  has  increased.  For- 
merly, the  country  parson,  teacher,  and  doctor  were 
the  only  educated  persons  in  the  community;  but  it 
is  not  so  now.  The  farmers  have  the  daily  news- 
papers, books,  and  magazines;  and  many  of  them  are 
high-school  and  college  graduates,  and  these  are  rap- 
idly increasing. 

The  Rise  of  New  Conditions  in  Country  Life. — The 
social  life  of  the  country  in  earlier  days  was  so  simple 
that  it  flowed  on  almost  automatically.  The  neigh- 
borhood gatherings  were  spontaneous,  and  centered 
in  the  good  old-fashioned  "huskin'-bees,"  "apple- 
peelin's,"  and  such  like.  The  very  work  itself  was  so 
adjusted  as  to  afford  much  sociability.  Now,  how- 
ever, a  lot  of  new  social  forces  have  appeared  that 
must  be  reckoned  with. 

Again,  the  country  people  have  much  more  money 
66 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

to  spend  than  they  used  to  have  in  the  pioneer  days. 
The  land  has  been  cleared,  or  drained,  or  irrigated. 
Orchards  have  been  planted  and  roads  made.  Per- 
manent buildings  have  been  erected,  and  mortgages 
paid  off.  Telephone  systems  and  rural  mail  routes 
have  been  established.  The  preliminary  work  inci- 
dent to  the  settling  of  a  new  country  has  been  done. 
The  farmer  is  ready  for  new  tasks.  The  rapid  in- 
crease of  population  has  put  far  greater  demands  upon 
agriculture  as  a  business.  Agriculture  has  become  a 
science,  which  calls  for  a  new  education  of  those  who 
till  the  soil,  a  new  type  of  educators,  a  new  literature, 
and  new  legislation. 

Many  discoveries  have  been  made  in  recent  years 
concerning  man's  living  conditions.  The  laws  of 
hygiene  and  sanitation  did  not  much  concern  our 
forefathers.  Many  lives  were  lost  on  the  farm  from 
typhoid  fever  and  other  diseases  before  the  dangers 
arising  from  a  polluted  water  supply  and  contamina- 
tion from  other  sources  had  been  discovered.  Rural 
sanitation  and  nursing  are  to  play  a  large  part  in  the 
new  rural  life. 

The  Dream  and  Then  the  Dawn. — The  farmer  has 
only  begun  to  dream  of  a  beautiful,  comfortable,  con- 
venient home.  Architecture  and  landscape  gardening 
have  not  hitherto  been  in  his  program.  Mr.  Farmer 
has  not  thought  much  about  installing  into  his  home 
the  modern  appliances  which  help  to  lighten  the  work 
of  the  rural  housekeeper  and  home-maker. 

But  the  dawn  of  a  new  country  life  is  at  hand. 
In  the  face  of  these  new  rural  conditions  and  achieve- 

67 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 


ments,  the  country  Church  finds  itself  confronted 
with  new  demands.  The  possibilities  of  its  usefulness 
lie  in  meeting  the  issue  now  before  the  country  people. 
The  Message. — The  rural  Church  must  continue  to 
preach,  as  it  has  done  in  the  past,  the  gospel  of  re- 
pentance and  salvation  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ ; 
and  then,  in  addition  to  this,  it  should  preach  the 


i 


A  NEW  COUNTRY  RESIDENCE  THAT  NEEDS  THE  SERVICES  OF  A 
RURAL  ARTIST 

gospel  of  social  service  in  terms  of  modern  rural  life. 
It  must  have  a  message  for  the  farmer  who  is  robbing 
the  soil  and  leaving  it  in  a  depleted  condition  of  fer- 
tility for  the  generations  to  come  after  him.  It  must 
have  a  message  for  the  indolent  farmer,  who  does  not 
know  how  to  till  the  soil  with  profit;  or  who,  through 
bad  business  methods,  is  failing,  and  is  having  a  hard 

68 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

life  and  not  able  properly  to  support  his  family  and 
the  institutions  of  his  community.  The  rural  Church 
must  have  a  message  for  the  prosperous  farmer  who 
has  more  money  than  he  knows  how  to  use  most  in- 
telligently, who  seeks  only  "to  get  more  money  to 
buy  more  land  to  raise  more  corn  to  feed  more  hogs 


RESIDENCE  OF  A  FARM  TENANT 

The  rural  Church  must  have  a  saving  message  for  both  the 
man  who  lives  here  and  his  absentee  landlord. 


to  get  more  money."  It  must  have  a  message  for  the 
absentee  landlord  and  the  retired  farmer,  whose  in- 
terests in  the  rural  community  lie  no  deeper  than  to 
draw  high  rents  from  their  lands.  It  must  have  a 
message,  too,  for  the  farm  tenant,  who  ofttimes  works 
and  lives  under  great  difficulties  and  discouragements; 
for  the  rural  school-teacher,  officers,  and  patrons  of 

69 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

the  public  school ;  for  the  grange  and  other  farmers' 
organizations,  and  for  every  other  agency  that  has  to 
do  with  rural  life,  either  directly  or  indirectly.  The 
rural  Church  must  have  a  message  for  the  new  rural 
home  and  the  community  which  surrounds  it.  It 
must  take  the  progress  of  the  centuries  and  the  best 
in  our  civilization  and  focus  them  upon  the  country- 
man and  his  family  in  such  a  way  that  not  only  a  few 
farmers,  but  the  farming  people  as  a  class,  everywhere, 
may  realize  the  more  fruitful  and  satisfying  type  of 
rural  life,  which  is  possible  in  this  present  age,  and 
which  is  due  them.  So  that  it  may  speedily  come  to 
be  said  that  the  industrial,  educational,  social,  recrea- 
tional, religious,  cultural,  and  home  advantages  and 
facilities  are  as  good  for  the  tillers  of  the  soil  as  for 
any  other  class  of  citizens  in  the  United  States  of 
America. 

It  is  possible  for  the  rural  Church  to  give  such  a 
message  to  the  country  people.  A  faithful  interpre- 
tation of  the  Scriptures  in  the  light  of  modern  rural 
life  will  supply  this  gospel  of  social  service  to  the 
husbandman. 

The  Message  in  Action. — Preaching  is  one  thing; 
doing  the  Word  is  another.  The  Scriptures  teach, 
".Be  ye  not  hearers  of  the  Word  only,  but  also  doers." 

Every  message  that  comes  through  the  Church 
should  be  accompanied  with  an  honest  effort  to  put 
that  message  into  practice,  whether  it  be  to  quit  sin 
or  to  build  a  decent  road  to  the  church  or  the  market. 

The  rural  Church  need  not  become  a  bureau,  of 
politics,  but  it  can  inspire  good  citizenship  and  pa- 

70 


OPPORTUNITIES  AND  POSSIBILITIES 

triotism,  and  give  its  patrons  opportunity  to  cultivate 
and  practice  these  virtues.  The  rural  Church  need 
not  become  a  public  school,  but  it  can  cultivate  the 
spirit  of  inquiry  and  research  in  the  community.  It 
can  put  its  people  in  the  attitude  of  learners.  It  can 
champion  the  cause  of  rural  education,  and  do  many 
practical  things  to  help  the  school  teacher  and  the 
school  officers. 

The  rural  Church  need  not  turn  itself  into  an 
amusement  house,  but  it  can  do  wonders  in  leading 
its  people  into  wholesome  recreations.  The  rural 
Church  is  not  supposed  to  teach  scientific  agriculture, 
but  it  can  pave  the  way  for  it  by  putting  the  farmers 
in  touch  with  literature  on  the  subject  and  other 
helps.  The  rural  Church  can  set  before  a  whole  com- 
munity an  example  of  good  business  and  of  neat, 
beautiful,  and  sanitary  home  surroundings,  by  con- 
ducting its  own  business  well  and  by  keeping  its 
buildings  and  grounds  in  first-class  condition.  The 
rural  Church  can  help  the  farmer  to  great  co-operative 
systems  by  being  itself  the  greatest  co-operative  in- 
stitution in  the  community — the  greatest  social 
servant. 

The  Church  that  does  practical  things  for  its  com- 
munity is  the  Church  that  wins  its  way  into  the  good 
graces  and  affections  of  the  people.  Nothing  is  for- 
eign to  the  active,  serving  rural  Church  that  concerns 
the  welfare  of  the  farmer.  There  is  simply  no  end  to 
the  possibilities  of  the  wide-awake  rural  Church.  Let 
it  study  the  life  of  its  people,  the  community,  and  the 
country  itself — its  resources,  its  handicaps,  and  its 

71 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

possibilities.  Let  it  make  a  complete  survey1  touch- 
ing every  item  of  rural  life,  chart  and  tabulate  the 
results,  and  celebrate  victories,  achievements,  and 
anniversaries.  Let  the  country  people  "talk  up"  the 
preacher,  the  Church  officers,  the  services  and  min- 
istries of  the  Church,  the  public  school,  and  the  com- 
munity. We  may  glorify  country  life  and  farm  life 
by  making  it  happy,  bright,  joyous,  and  profitable. 
Let  us  exalt  the  farmer  and  the  business  of  farming. 
In  all  phases  of  rural  work  we  must  advertise,  adver- 
tise, advertise! 

All  these  things  and  many  more  are  possible  for 
the  country  Church.  The  one  thing  necessary  is 
to  set  about  intelligently  and  in  earnest  to  realize  the 
best  things  for  the  country  and  the  country  Church 
and  people — and  it  shall  be  done. 

1  The  first  essential  in  the  revival  of  a  country  Church  along  scientific  lines 
is  to  make  a  social  survey  of  the  community  which  the  Church  serves.  A 
social  survey  is  simply  taking  an  inventory  of  the  social  stock  in  a  community. 
The  Church  as  a  human  organization  is  a  social  institution.  It  is  dependent 
upon  the  people  of  its  vicinity,  their  conditions  and  relationships.  The  twen- 
tieth century  country  Church  should  know  the  institutional  relationships  of 
all  the  people  in  its  territorial  sphere  of  influence,  as  well  as  their  prosperity, 
their  social  status,  their  religious  inclinations,  their  education,  their  relative 
abilities  as  leaders,  and  their  disposition  to  be  led.  These  facts  must  first  be 
known  before  intelligent  plans  of  action  may  be  formulated  and  effectively  car- 
ried forward.  This  survey  should  be  made  by  the  local  Church  itself;  for  this 
activity  in  itself  will  tend  to  have  a  stimulating  reaction. 

The  best  brief  directions  for  making  a  social  survey  known  to  the  Editor  is 
entitled,  "A  Method  of  Making  a  Social  Survey  of  a  Rural  Community."  The 
author  of  the  pamphlet  is  Prof.  C.  J.  Galpin,  and  it  is  published  by  the  Univer- 
sity of  Wisconsin,  at  Madison,  as  Circular  of  Information,  No.  29,  January, 
1912.  Persons  writing  for  the  same  should  address  the  Mailing  Department. 

Other  excellent  and  helpful  bulletins  on  survey  work  are:  "The  Survey- 
Idea  in  Country-Life  Work,"  by  Dean  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  Cornell  University, 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.;  "A  Social  Survey  for  Rural  Communities,"  by  George  Frederick 
Wells,  Tyringham,  Mass.  (10  cents  a  copy);  and  the  various  reports  of  surveys 
made  in  several  States  by  the  Presbyterian  Department -of  Church  and  Coun- 
try Life,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

72 


CHAPTER  IV 
The  Centralization  of  Country  Churches 

BY  DR.  CHARLES  B.  TAYLOR,  Me  Arthur,  Ohio. 

IT  has  been  my  lot  to  spend  about  forty  years 
ministering  to  the  needs  of  various  groups  of  country 
Churches  among  the  hills  of  South- 
eastern Ohio./  What  I  have  to  say 
applies  to  the  conditions  which  have 
confronted  me,  increased  my  bur- 
dens, and  hindered  the  efficiency  of 
my  work.  I  thank  God  for  the 
recollections  of  a  long,  precious, 
and  happy  ministry,  but  can  not 
but  be  saddened  a  little  when  I 
think  how  much  more  /I  might 
have  accomplished  had  there  been 
a  wise  centralization  of  Churches. 

1.    Conditions 

The  population  of  the  rural  districts  of  South- 
eastern Ohio  is  steadily  decreasing.  The  county  in 
which  I  reside  has  lost  one-third  of  its  population 
within  the  past  thirty  years.  Some  of  the  townships 
have  scarcely  one-half  as  many  inhabitants  as  they 
had  thirty  years  ago.  Columbus,  Dayton,  and  the 

73 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

other  manufacturing  cities  are  full  of  people  from 
these  hills.  They  are  in  the  factories,  the  railroad 
yards,  and  the  stores.  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  and  other 
Western  States  have  furnished  homes  for  many 
more. 

A  great  many  of  our  young  people  become  college 
students.  As  a  rule,  when  they  leave  their  homes  to 
enter  college,  they  leave  them  never  to  return  except 
as  visitors.  Very  many  of  them  have  become  min- 
isters and  teachers;  but  their  ministry  and  teaching 
is  far  away.  One  family  may  be  used  as  an  illustra- 
tion. It  is  a  large  family,  whose  members  take  to  J 
books  as  a  duck  takes  to  water.  There  are  three  sons 
and  six  daughters.  Of  the  sons,  one  is  a  minister  in 
Missouri,  one  is  a* superintendent  of  schools  in  a  town 
of  Western  Ohio,  and  one  is  an  employee  of  the  National 
Cash  Register  Co.,  at  Dayton.  Of  the  daughters,  one 
is  a  wife  and  mother  in  Colorado,  one  is  a  trained 
nurse  in  Texas,  one  is  in  Dayton,  one  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, one  is  in  college,  and  one  teaches  the  first  grade 
in  the  public  schools  of  her  home  town,  and  is  the 
only  one  of  them  left  among  the  hills. 

A  few  years  ago,  when  I  sustained  official  rela- 
tions to  the  teachers  and  schools  of  the  county  in 
which  I  live,  there  were  three  young  women,  superb 
teachers,  who  remained  with  us  until  I  began  to 
flatter  myself  that  we  should  have  the  benefit  of  their 
life-work.  They  are  all  gone.  One  teaches  English 
in  the  high-school  of  a  city  in  Western  Ohio,  and  the 
omniverous  maw  of  Columbus  has  gathered  in  the 
other  two,  one  of  whom  is  a  faithful  teacher  in  the 

74 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

city  schools  and  one  is  the  wife  of  an  honored  pro- 
fessor in  Ohio  State  University. 

2.    The  Effects 

The  effects  of  this  continued  emigration  upon  the 
schools  and  Churches  of  this  region  are  deplorable. 
The  schools,  which  used  to  number  forty  pupils,  now 
have  ten  or  twelve.  As  for  the  Churches,  let  a  few 
concrete  illustrations  present  the  situation. 

(a)  In  a  certain  sparsely-settled  community,  eight 
miles  from  any  railroad,  and  the  same  distance  from 
any  turnpike,  one  can  stand  upon  the  summit  of  a 
hill  and  see  three  churches,  one  close  by  one's  side, 
one  a  half  mile  ,to  the  right,  and  one  across  a  valley 
on  another  hill,   less  than  a  mile  away.     One  is  a 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  one  a  United  Brethren, 
and  one  a  Free  Will  Baptist.     All  the  people  living 
within  range  of  these  three  churches  are  not  enough 
to  maintain  one  Church  well.     Not  one  of  the  three 
pays  more  than  $75  annually  for  the  support  of  a 
pastor. 

A  minister  who  was  appointed  to  serve  one  of 
these  Churches  told  me  about  his  first  service  there. 
He  rode  ten  miles  over  a  bad  road  in  the  cold  weather. 
Arriving  at  the  church,  he  found  a  congregation  of 
four  persons,  one  of  whom  was  trying  to  coax  a  fire 
out  of  wet  fuel  and  a  smoky  stove,  while  the  other 
three  stood  shivering  around  it. 

(b)  In    the    hamlet    of     R —     -   there    are   about 
twenty  houses  and  three  churches — Disciple,  United 
Brethren  (Liberal),  and  United  Brethren   (Radical). 

75 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

There  are  enough  people  in  the  hamlet  and  in  the 
surrounding  community  to  make  one  good,  hopeful 
Church,  if  the  three  could  be  combined.  As  it  is, 
the  little  Churches  are  dying,  and  the  community 
suffers  the  loss. 

(c)  In  a  number  of  places  in  this  part  of  Ohio, 
Methodist  Episcopal  and  Methodist  Protestant  cir- 
cuits cover  the  same  ground,  thus  dividing  the  energy 
of  the  people  and  multiplying  the  labors  of  the  min- 
isters. 

(d)  In  many  places  Churches  of  the  same  denomi- 
nation are  too  close  together.    Some  good  old  man  in 
years  gone  by  wanted  a  church  close  by  his  house. 
A  young  minister,  full  of  zeal  and  ambition,  came  to 
the  circuit  and  thought  that  it  would  be  a  fine  thing 
to  be  able  to  report  a  new  church  building  on  his 
field  of  work.    The  good  old  man  and  the  young  min- 
ister got  together,  and  the  result  is  a  church  on  Beech 
Hill,  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from  the  church  at 
Pine  Fork. 

One  Example  of  an  Over-Churched  Field. — A  good 
example  of  the  general  condition  of  affairs  comes 
from  the  field  where  I  spent  the  last  three  years  of 
my  pastoral  work.  At  the  southern  extremity  of  the 

field  is  the  village  of  T ,  with  about  two  hundred 

inhabitants.  There  are  four  churches  in  the  place — 
Methodist,  United  Brethren,  Presbyterian,  and  Chris- 
tian. Two  miles  east  is  another  Methodist  Church, 
and  a  mile  and  a  half  north  is  another  United  Brethren 
Church.  The  entire  population  living  within  conven- 
ient distance  of  these  six  churches  is  about  nine 

76 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

hundred.  The  aggregate  membership  of  these 
Churches  is  about  two  hundred  and  seventy,  or  about 
forty-five  to  each  Church. 

Four  ministers  labored  among  these  Churches, 
their  fields  extending  elsewhere  over  wide  circuits. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  minister  supplied  five 
churches.  On  one  Sunday  he  preached  three  times 
and  rode  eighteen  miles.  On  the  next  Sunday  he 
preached  twice  and  rode  ten  miles.  He  conducted 
five  series  of  special  revival  services  during  the  year, 
and  did  a  large  amount  of  pastoral  work,  visiting  the 
sick  and  burying  the  dead.  His  salary  was  $500  a 
year  and  a  parsonage. 

The  United  Brethren  minister  had  seven  churches 
under  his  care.  He  preached  at  each  place  once  in 
three  weeks.  During  the  year  he  held  seven  series  of 
special  services.  The  churches  were  widely  scat- 
tered.. The  preacher's  salary  was  $475.  With  that 
pitiful  amount  he  supported  his  family,  paid  house- 
rent,  and  kept  a  horse. 

The  brother  who  ministered  to  the  Christian 
Church  had  four  churches  under  his  care.  His  salary 
was  about  $480. 

My  field  consisted  of  four  little  Presbyterian 
Churches,  extending  along  a  line  from  north  to  south. 
On  one  Sunday  I  drove  twenty-four  miles  and 
preached  twice,  and  occasionally  three  times.  On 
the  next  Sunday,  I  drove  eight  miles  and  preached 
twice.  The  territory  under  my  pastoral  care  was 
twenty-one  miles  long  and  eight  miles  wide.  The 
visitation  of  the  sick  and  the  large  number  of  funerals 

77 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

to  which  I  was  called  added  much  to  the  burdens  of 
the  work.  Like  the  other  brethren,  I  was  expected 
to  hold  a  series  of  special  services  at  each  church.  I 
preached  about  two  hundred  sermons  each  year,  and 
drove  nearly  two  thousand  miles  over  rough  hills  and, 
for  the  most  part,  red  clay  roads..  The  winter  trips 
were  hard  for  a  man  of  my  age.  My  salary  was 
$800. 

Four  preachers  ministered  to  twenty  churches, 
and  the  work  broke  down  strong  men.  The  other  / 
three  received  salaries  which  were  pitifully  inade- 
quate. Our  congregations  were  small.  The  little 
Churches  lacked  the  enthusiasm  which  comes  with 
numbers.  And  the  pity  of  it  was  that  we  covered 
practically  the  same  ground  and  crossed  and  re- 
crossed  the  tracks  of  each  other  every  day. 

The  Benefit  of  Church  Consolidation. — A  wise  cen- 
tralization could  easily  reduce  these  twenty  churches 
to  ten,  while  supplying  ample  church  privileges  to 
the  entire  population  of  that  region.  If  this  were 
done,  a  number  of  good  results  would  follow. 

The  churches  would  number  ninety  to  a  hundred 
members  each.  Now  they  number  forty-five  to  fifty./ 
There  would  be  ten  live,  pushing,  interesting  Sunday 
schools,  instead  of  twenty  feeble,  struggling  organi- 
zations. The  neighborhoods,  now  divided  in  their 
interests,  would  each  have  a  central  rallying  point  in 
both  religious  and  social  affairs.  One  minister  could 
be  released  to  labor  elsewhere.  Two  of  the  remain- 
ing three  would  care  for  three  churches  each,  and  the 
third  would  have  four.  These  fields  would  be  far 

78 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

more  easily  cared  for  than  the  present  charges.  The 
salaries  now  paid  to  the  four  men  would  make  living 
salaries  for  the  three.  There  would  be  a  freshening 
and  quickening  of  the  religious  life  of  the  whole  re- 
gion, and  we  feel  sure  that  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church  would  be  pleased,  and  would  give  His  rich 
blessing. 

These  are  the  conditions  in  this  region,  and,  to 
some  extent,  they  represent  the  conditions  among 
country  Churches  generally. 

3.    Difficulties  in  the  Way  of  Centralization 

It  is  easy  to  take  a  map  of  a  community  and 
mark  out  with  one's  pencil  just  how  the  churches 
should  be  centralized.  But  when  one  goes  on  a  field 
and  tries  to  centralize  churches,  he  soon  finds  that  he 
is  not  dealing  with  a  map,  but  with  people.  Let  us 
frankly  face  the  difficulties. 

First.  Difficulties  arising  from  local  attachment. 
For  example,  one  who  has  not  labored  in  such  fields 
can  not  realize  how  centralization  is  made  difficult 
by  the  fact  that  very  many  of  our  country  churches 
stand  in  one  corner  of  "God's  Acre,"  the  little  country 
cemetery  where  the  friends  and  relatives  are  buried. 
In  the  summer  season,  when  the  flowers  are  bloom- 
ing, the  people  assemble  early,  and  before  they  enter 
the  church  they  visit  the  graves  and  decorate  them 
with  fragrant  and  beautiful  flowers. 

One  can  not  but  sympathize  with  these  people. 
When  we  talk  of  centralization,  one  good  woman 
says,  "O,  if  we  should  leave  our  church,  they  would 

79 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

let  the  graveyard  go  down.  One  old  man  says,  "I 
have  worshiped  in  that  little  church  all  my  life. 
There  I  sat  by  mother's  side;  out  there  in  the  yard 
she  sleeps.  There  lie  my  two  children  and  my  sister, 
and  there  they  will  lay  me  to  rest.  I  can't  think  of 
giving  up  our  church  to  go  elsewhere." 


"  IN  ONE  CORNER  OF  GOD'S  ACRE 

This  is  rJerhaps  the  strongest  of  the  considera- 
tions, local  and  sentimental,  which  stands  in  the  way 
of  centralization. 

Second.  An  exaggerated  idea  of  the  differences 
between  denominations  stands  as  a  barrier  in  our 
way. 

Really,  in  all  the  great  essentials  of  faith  and 
practice,  the  denominations  which  occupy  the  ter- 
ritory above  described  are  on  common  grounds.  The 
things  in  which  they  agree  are  great  and  many.  The 

80 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

things  in  which  they  differ  are  few  and  small.  They 
all  preach  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  toward 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  all  urge  prayer,  upright- 
ness, love  of  God  and  love  of  one's  neighbor.  While 
I  love  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  feel  most  at  home 
within  her  borders,  I  could  very  easily  be  a  Congre- 
gationalist  or  Methodist,  without  violence  to  my  con- 
victions of  truth,  and  with  hearty,  earnest  fellowship 
with  my  brethren. 

Third.  The  greatest  difficulty  is  from  the  eccle- 
siastical powers  higher  up — the  Conferences,  Synods, 
Associations,  and  superintendents,  whose  vision  seems 
to  be  bounded  by  the  work  in  their  own  denomina- 
tions, and  who  push  with  impetuous  zeal  the  interests 
of  "our  Church,"  as  if  that  were  the  whole  Kingdom 
of  our  Lord  and  Savior.  On  reading  the  above  state- 
ment, I  realize  that  it  is  too  strong,  but  I  let  it  stand 
as  illustrating  a  tendency. 

4.    What  Shall  We  Do  about  It? 

First.  The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  get  the  Church 
at  large  awake  to  the  need  of  the  centralization  of 
the  country  Churches.  The  present  condition  of 
these  Churches  is  a  woeful  waste  of  the  Lord's  money, 
the  labors  of  His  ministers,  and  the  energies  of  His 
people.  It  is  a  detriment  to  the  spiritual  life  of 
country  communities  and  a  hindrance  to  the  up- 
building of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  souls  of  men. 
77  is  a  burning  shame  and  a  sin  against  God.  When- 
ever the  Church  is  really  awake  to  these  truths,  we 
will  find  a  way  to  centralize. 
6  81 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Second.    Let  the  ministers  on  these  fields  empha-  .   , 
size  the  great  truths  in  which  the  Churches  agree,  y 
Let  them  preach  to  their  people  the  pressing  need  of 
union.  /  Let  them  urge  the  people  to  worship  together, 
and  hold  social  reunions./  Hold  a  picnic  at  Pine  Fork 
for  the  people  of  Pine  Fork  and  Beech  Hill./  Get  the 
young  people  to  intermingle.     When  the  hearts  of 
the  people  flow  together,  the  union  of  two  Churches 
is  not  difficult. 

Third.  God  hasten  the  day  when  denominations  ., 
whose  faith  and  methods  are  practically  the  same 
shall  be  united  in  one.  To  some  extent  this  has  been 
done.  Forty-three  years  ago,  when  I  began  my 
ministry,  the  Presbyterians  of  Washington  and  Athens 
Counties  were  divided  among  four  denominations — 
Old  School,  New  School,  United,  and  Cumberland. 
They  have  now  all  come  together  here,  and  the  good 
results  are  apparent.  Similar  unions  should  take 
place  elsewhere,  only  on  a  much  broader  scale.  There 
is  no  longer  any  adequate  reason  for  the  existence  of 
the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  separate  from  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Surely,  there  is  no 
adequate  reason  for  the  continued  existence  of  the 
two  United  Brethren  denominations.  If  two  or  three 
unions  would  take  place  along  these  lines,  it  would 
help  wonderfully  in  solving  the  country  Church 
problem. 

Fourth.     But  the  great  thing  to  do  is  for  the  dif-   I/' 
ferent  denominations  interested  to  get  together  with 
a    determined    purpose    to    centralize    the    country 
Churches  by  a  fair  system  of  exchange./  "A  fair  ex- 

82 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

change  is  no  robbery."  Let  a  committee  be  ap- 
pointed, one  from  each  denomination  represented  in 
the  field,  and  let  this  committee  look  over  the  field 
carefully  and  prayerfully,  and  decide  what  should  be 
done.  For  example,  suppose  there  is  a  Methodist 
Church  and  also  a  Presbyterian  Church  on  Clay  Run. 
The  Methodist  Church  numbers  sixty  members  and 
the  Presbyterian  Church  thirty.  Meanwhile,  over  on 
Sugar  Fork  there  is  a  Presbyterian  Church  of  sixty 
members  and  a  Methodist  Church  with  thirty.  The 
right  thing  to  do  is  for  the  Presbyterians  on  Clay 
Run  to  go  to  the  Methodists,  and  for  the  Methodists 
on  Sugar  Fork  to  go  to  the  Presbyterians.  Let  the 
committee  visit  these  fields  and  hold  meetings  with 
the  people,  and  get  them  together. 

We  stand  ready  for  helpful  suggestions  from  any 
source.  We  are  ready  for  any  practical  and  prac- 
ticable method.  But  let  us  make  up  our  minds 
that,  for  the  sake  of  our  Lord  and  His  Kingdom, 
the  centralization  of  these  Churches  must  and  shall 
be  accomplished.  If  we  really  mean  to  do  it,  we  will 
find  the  way. 

It  is  very  interesting  and  encouraging  to  see  the 
efforts  that  the  various  Church  denominations  are 
making  to  secure  the  centralization  or  consolidation 
of  the  weaker  Churches  in  rural  districts.  The  need 
is  becoming  so  insistent  that  a  real  earnestness  is 
beginning  to  take  hold  of  bodies  that  are  from  time 
to  time  delegated  to  consider  this  subject.  As  Dr. 
Taylor  suggests,  the  Church  organizations,  through 

83 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

their  higher  officials,  must  not  only  encourage  the 
movement,  but  must  take  definite  action  to  accom- 
plish desirable  results.  If  the  various  Church  bodies 
continue  to  neglect  this  plain  and  pressing  duty,  the 
people  themselves  may  be  expected  to  take  the  in- 
itiative— with  varying  results. 

{  There  are  several  practical  ways  for  realizing  the  A 
centralization  or  consolidation  of  Churches. '.{  A  brief 
consideration  of  the  most  important  methods  may 
prove  helpful  to  many  rural  communities  that  are 
looking  for  ways  and  means  out  of  their  distress. 
Until  the  various  denominations  do  begin  earnest, 
aggressive,  and  effective  action  for  the  relief  of  over- 
churched  rural  communities,  these  plans  may  prove 
suggestive. 

1.    Union  under  a  Denomination 

The  Churches  of  different  denominations  in  a 
community  may,  by  the  voluntary  agreement  of  the 
people,  be  consolidated  into  one  Church  under  one 
denomination.  The  denomination  may  be  the  same 
as  one  of  the  several  Churches  centralized,  or  a  de- 
nomination different  from  any  of  them.  This  method 
has  been  recently  (in  1913)  effected  in  the  union  of 
the  three  Churches  in  the  village  of  Dublin,  Ohio. 
There  were  three  Churches  there — a  Presbyterian,  a 
Congregational,  and  a  Christian. /During  the  summer 
of  1912  a  cyclone  swept  away  the  buildings  of  the 
first  two  Churches  mentioned.  The  Disciples 
promptly  offered  their  church  edifice  to  the  two  or- 
ganizations made  homeless.  The  offer  was  accepted, 

84 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

but  it  soon  became  apparent  that  a  union  of  all  three 
congregations  was  highly  advisable  and  desirable. 
After  due  consideration,  a  union  was  effected,  and 
the  new,  consolidated  Church  became  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  denomination,  and  is  now  using 
the  former  Christian  Church  building. 


THE  NEW  UNION  CHURCH  AT  LINDENWOOD,  ILLINOIS 
It  was  dedicated  in  1909 


2.    Union  under  No  Denomination 

A  union   Church   of  no   particular  denomination  ^ 
may  be  formed.    In  1868,  at  Lindenwood,  Illinois,  the 
six  denominations  of  Wesleyan  Methodists,  Methodist 
Episcopal,  Episcopal,  Christian,  Baptists,  and  Seventh  • 
Day  Adventists   formally  united   to  form  the  Union 
Church  of  Lindenwood.     "The  organization  consisted 
simply  of  the  election  of  two  deacons  and  a  committee 

85 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

of  three  to  engage  a  pastor  or  supply  for  the  pulpit, 
and  a  written  agreement  to  take  the  Holy  Scriptures  as   X 
the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  and  Christian  char- 
acter the  test  of  fellowship."      This  simple  organiza- 
tion has  stood  the  test  for  forty-five  years,  and  is  still 
used,    although    several    other    denominations    have 
contributed  toward  the  membership  of  this  Church./' 
Ministers  have  been  drawn  from  various  denomina- 
tions, the  last  three  being  Congregationalists.     The 
plan  seems  to  be  working  admirably. 

3.    Federation  of  Denominations 

Churches  of  different  denominations  may  federate^ 
locally  ./At  Chesterland,  Ohio,  the  Baptists  and  Con- 
gregationalists, being  unable  to  unite  as  one  Church, 
have  formed  a  very  close  local  federation.  One  of 
the  church  buildings  was  repaired  for  the  use  of  both 
congregations,  and  both  united  in  calling  a  minister 
to  serve  both/  It  happened  to  be  the  Congregational 
Church  building  that  was  repaired,  and  a  Baptist 
minister  that  was  called.  Both  congregations  worship 
in  the  same  church  building,  and  both  are  being 
served  by  the  same  pastor  and  attend  the  same  serv- 
ices. Each  organization  assumed  its  fair  share  of 
the  local  Church  support,  the  board  of  trustees  of 
each  being  responsible  for  the  finances  of  their  re- 
spective organizations.  Each  organization  supports 
the  benevolences  of  its  own  denomination.  New 
members  are  received  into  either  organization  ac- 
cording to  their  individual  preference.  The  arrange- 
ment has  been  in  operation  for  over  a  year,  and  seems 

86 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

to  be  working  very  satisfactorily.  No  friction  has 
arisen,  and  the  religious  work  of  the  community  has 
been  strengthened. 

4.    Interdenominational  Church  Trades 

An  exchange  of  churches  located  in  different  com- 
munities may  be  made  among  the  various  denomina- 
tions.XDr.  Taylor  has  fully  explained  this  method  on 
page  83.  If  the  various  denominations  would  heartily 
co-operate,  much  might  be  done  to  relieve  the  situa- 
tion by  this  plan/  If  the  powers  "higher  up"  in  the 
leading  denominations  would  appoint  an  interde- 
nominational rural  church  commission  in  each  State 
to  carry  forward  this  work  actively  and  energetically 
for  a  period  of  about  five  years,  they  would  likely 
have  enough  to  keep  them  busy,  and  no  better  service 
could  be  rendered  the  Christian  people  in  rural  com- 
munities. 

The  New  Organizations  Evil 

In  the  meantime,  the  various  denominational 
Church  organizations,  as  well  as  the  people  them- 
selves, should  see  to  it  that  no  new  Church  societies 
are  organized  in  rural  communities  already  adequately 
provided  with  Church  privileges./  In  the  past  it  has 
been  a  great  deal  easier  for  a  young  and  over-energetic 
minister  to  organize  a  new  congregation  of  his  de- 
nomination in  a  rural  community  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  congregations  of  other  denominations  than  it 
has  been  for  the  people  so  organized  decently  to 
support  the  new  organization.  /  The  great  need  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Christ  in  rural  communities  to-day 

87 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

is   the   concentration   of  the  wealth,  the  effort,  the 
membership,  and  the  worship  of  its  citizenship. 

Caution 

There  is  a  strength  in  denominationalism — in  the 
association  of  a  large  number  of  local  societies  into 
a  great  Christian  organization  for  the  purpose  of  co-  , 
operation  in  the  formation  and  realization  of  definite  ^ 
religious  policies,  in  the  development  of  permanent 
and  efficient  leadership,  and  the  distribution  of  op- 
portunities and  responsibilities  for  rendering  Christian 
service./  The  inroads  of  evil  are  always  made  at  the 
weakest  point;  and  certainly  no  rural  Church  fortifies 
itself  when  it  cuts  loose  from  the  strength  that  comes 
with  comprehensive  plans  and  well-organized  efforts 
under  the  foremost  Church  leadership.  Church 
leaders  must  be  specialists  in  religion,  not  in  agri- 
culture. When  the  local  spiritual  and  moral  leader 
is  forced  to  depend  wholly  upon  the  congregation  he 
serves,  financially  and  socially,  and  thereby  forced  to 
conform  to  its  sentiments  in  moral,  religious,  and 
spiritual  matters,  we  may  well  question  the  plan  rec- 
ommended under  the  second  division  above. 

An  example  is  cited  at  Ogden,  Kansas.  The 
sensible  people  of  this  village  decided  to  unite  for 
religious  worship,  and  so  built  a  union  church.  Every- 
body worked  enthusiastically  in  building  the  edifice. 
The  beautiful  stone  structure  was  finally  dedicated — 
and  then  the  weaknesses  of  the  plan  began  to  assert 
themselves.  Who  should  be  the  minister?  Should 
he  be  a  Methodist,  a  Congregationalist,  a  Presby- 

88 


CENTRALIZATION  OF  COUNTRY  CHURCHES 

terian,  or  a  Baptist?  Well,  no  agreement  was  reached, 
and  the  new  church  stands  to-day  unused,  while  men, 
women,  and  children  are  deprived  of  religious  train- 
ing and  Church  life.  There  can  be  no  garden  without 
a  gardener.  In  an  attempt  to  be  undenominational, 


This  attractive  and  modern  church  building  was  erected  by 
the  Christian  people  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  country  village 
of  Ogden,  Kansas.  Four  different  denominations  participated 
at  its  dedication.  Its  ruling  body  is  undenominational.  The 
Christian  service  being  rendered  is  nil. 

this  local  Church  society  forfeited  those  elements  so 
necessary  to  a  vigorous  and  continuous  religious 
activity. 

References 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  wish  further  to 
investigate  this  subject,  we  append  the  following  ad- 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

ditional  instances  of  successful  centralization  of 
Church  interests: 

Greenwood  Union  Church,  Greenwood,  Mass. 

Federated  Church,  Tyringham,  Mass.,  Rev.  Geo. 
Frederick  Wells,  Pastor. 

Union  Church,  Concord  Junction,  Mass.,  Rev. 
S.  N.  Adams,  Pastor. 

Memorial  Union  Church,  Springfield,  Mass.,  Rev. 
E.  P.  Berry,  Pastor. 

Union  Church,  Ridgefield  Park,  N.  J. 

Union  Church,  Proctor,  Vt.,  F.  W.  Raymond, 
Pastor. 

Alma,  Mo. 

Bernardston,  Mass. 

Somerset,  Mass. 


90 


CHAPTER  V 
Efficiency  and  Leadership 

BY  REV.  N.  W.  STROUP,  D.  D., 

District  Superintendent,   Cleveland  District,  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Cleveland. 

1.   The  Nature  of  Leadership 

LEADERSHIP  is  another  word  for  genius.  Efficiency 
stands  for  business  in  religion  as  well  as  religion  in 
business.  The  few  lead  and  the 
many  follow.  Men  go  astray  like 
sheep,  and  come  back  very  much  in 
the  same  way,  i.  e.,  they  follow  a 
leader.  The  descent  of  vice  is  easier 
and  more  rapid  than  the  ascent  of 
virtue.  We  may  drift  into  disease 
and  sin,  but  we  must  will  and  work 
our  way  back  into  moral  health  and 
Tightness.  The  latter  calls  for  per- 
sonal conviction  and  conquest  in 
preparing  the  way  and  walking  therein.  Emerson's 
"Representative  Men  "  and  Carlyle's  "Heroes  "  have 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  world,  because  they 
were  pre-eminently  the  leaders  of  their  era.  The 
world  has  had  its  adventurers,  its  leaders  in  coloniza- 
tion, its  philosophers,  and  its  great  generals;  but  this 

91 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

new  century  is  to  be  the  time  of  bloodless  battles, 
and  our  leaders  are  to  be  moral  and  spiritual  heroes. 
The  Prince  of  Peace  is  to  be  our  great  Captain,  and 
men  are  to  catch  His  spirit  of  courage  and  self-denial. 
"The  demand  for  a  few  strong  men"  says  John  R. 
Mott,  "is  even  more  imperative  than  more  men" 
The  times  demand  individuals  who  not  only  have  the 
prophet's  vision,  but  who  possess  the  power  to  in- 
spire and  lead  others  to  do  the  task. 

The  prophet  of  God  is  the  moral  general  who 
commands  the  latent  forces  of  his  audience  or  com- 
munity. His  message  is  a  call  to  ministry,  and  in 
that  sense  each  leader  may  be  a  Grant  or  a  Sherman 
in  the  war  against  sin.  The  response  to  the  call  will 
depend  upon  the  authority  of  the  messenger.  It  was 
said  of  Jesus  that  He  spoke  with  authority,  and  not 
as  the  scribes  and  Pharisees.  Luther  received  his 
commission  direct  from  God,  and  then  went  forth  to 
command  the  men  of  Germany  to  fight  for  religious 
freedom  and  personal  purity.  It  could  have  been 
said  of  John  Knox,  as  it  was  of  Napoleon,  that  his 
presence  was  equal  to  ten  thousand  men  on  the  field 
of  battle.  His  word  was  a  command  to  all  Scotland, 
and  it  even  compelled  the  attention  of  kings  and 
queens.  John  Wesley,  like  John  the  Baptist,  was 
sent  to  prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and  to  call  Eng- 
land out  of  her  spiritual  sleep  and  moral  lethargy,  to 
take  up  again  the  redemption  of  a  race. 

The  leaders  of  the  present  hour  are  not  only  the 
watchmen  on  the  walls  of  our  modern  Zions,  but  they 
are  the  divinely  commissioned  commanders  of  the 

92 


EFFICIENCY  AND 'LEADERSHIP 

economic,  political,  social,  and  moral  forces  of  our 
twentieth  century  civilization.  Then  we  should  not 
forget  that  in  the  very  forefront  of  the  advancing 
armies  must  be  found  the  spiritual  leaders.  (It  is  our 
privilege  to  call  men  to  battle  for  virtue  and  against 
vice,  for  knowledge  and  against  ignorance,  for  temper- 
ance and  against  drunkenness,  for  faith  and  against 
doubt,  and  for  love  and  against  hate.  "VThe  word  of 
command,"  says  Mr.  Roosevelt,  "is  useless  in  the 
fight  unless  a  reasonable  number  of  those  to  whom  it 
is  uttered  not  only  listen  but  act  upon  it.  Talk — 
mere  oratory — is  worse  than  useless  if  it  has  not  a 
worthy  object,  and  does  not  cause  men  to  actually 
put  in  practice  the  message  received." 

The  new  patriotism  must  be  interpreted  in  the 
terms  of  Christian  conquest.  The  call  for  volunteers 
must  be  recognized  as  the  call  of  the  Christ.  The 
Church,  in  city  and  country,  will  be  the  institution 
through  which  the  modern  patriot  will  find  expression 
of  the  higher  sacrifice  of  victorious  conquest.  "The 
moral  substitute  for  war,"  that  Professor  James  de- 
clared was  the  need  of  the  hour,  will  be  realized  in 
the  army  of  Christian  soldiers  to  be  found  in  every 
community.  The  number  of  private  soldiers  who 
fight  in  the  ranks  may  vary  from  year  to  year, 
but  there  must  ever  be  a  sufficient  number  of  valiant 
leaders  to  command  the  regiments  and  to  organize 
new  recruits. 

2.    Rural  Leadership 

The  rural  communities  call  for  a  special  type  of 
leadership.  We  need  men  who  appreciate  the  great- 

93 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

ness  of  the  field,  and  who  will  be  able  to  discover  and 
train  those  who  are  waiting  for  some  one  to  command 
them.  An  institute  lecturer  recently  declared  that 
in  a  certain  community  where  it  was  commonly 
thought  that  no  young  people  remained,  the  right 
call  brought  forty  young  men,  all  ready  for  service, 
and  only  waiting  for  some  one  to  redirect  their  rest- 
less energy.  We  must  not  fail  to  utilize  this  latent 
leadership,  since,  as  Mr.  Mott  says,  "The  cities 
themselves  need  help,  and  can  not  be  relied  upon  to 
furnish  the  Christian  leaders  of  the  future."  It  is  a 
common  statement  in  rural  communities  that  "there 
are  no  leaders."  Some  explain  by  saying  that  the 
best  young  people  have  for  many  years  been  moving 
into  the  cities.  Others  assert  that  "the  people  in 
this  section  do  not  tolerate  any  boss."  Democracy 
is  made  synonymous  with  individualism.  They  have 
a  mistaken  conception  of  leadership  and  an  equally 
false  notion  of  co-operation.  Dr.  Hale  stated  a  few 
years  ago  that  "together  is  the  twentieth  century 
word."  This  is  one  essential  of  efficient  leadership. 
There  must  be  more  federation  and  less  competition, 
more  brotherhood  and  less  hate.  In  the  interest  of 
economy,  as  well  as  comity,  we  must  stand  together. 
The  strength  of  an  army  is  accounted  for,  not  by  the 
character  of  the  individual  soldier,  but  by  the  united 
loyalty  to  the  commander-in-chief. 

The  editor  of  a  rural  magazine,  in  a  request  for 
an  article  on  "The  Country  Church,"  stated  that 
while  they  were  anxious  to  present  to  their  readers 
things  that  had  actually  been  accomplished,  and  were 

94 


EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 

being  done,  in  terms  of  real  experience,  they  did  not 
have  any  use  for  general  discussions  or  speculative 
theories  of  what  must  or  must  not  be  done.  The  rural 
Churches  have  for  many  years  been  the  victims  of 
remarks  and  resolutions.  They  have  been  given 
" absent  treatment,"  which  may  be  very  interesting 
for  the  practitioner,  but  apt  to  prove  fatal  for  the 
patient.  The  rural  ministers  agree  with  the  editor 
and  say,  "Let  us  have  something  real  and  practical 
that  will  supply  our  actual  necessities  and  aid  in  the 
solution  of  our  problems." 

The  writer  was  reared  in  the  country,  and  saved 
at  the  altar  of  a  village  church,  but  two  years  ago 
was  brought  face  to  face  with  conditions  that  spoke 
of  religious  stagnation  and  disease,  of  discouragement 
and  defeat,  and  of  many  problems  and  vital  needs. 
The  Churches  were  decreasing  in  membership  and 
diminishing  in  efficiency.  The  pastors  were  inade- 
quately and  irregularly  paid.  The  term  of  service 
was  short,  and  there  was  a  very  evident  lack  of  plan 
and  purpose  in  the  work  of  those  who  had  been  se- 
lected to  lead.  Buildings  were  out  of  date,  and  very 
deficient  in  their  adaptation  to  modern  conditions. 
There  was  no  clear  vision,  and  a  sad  lack  of  efficient 
leadership. 

3.    A  Country  Church  Commission  and  Its  Work 

A  brief  consideration  of  the  work  of  the  Country 
Church  Commission  of  the  Cleveland  District,  East 
Ohio  Conference,  will  not  be  amiss  here.1  The 

1  For  more  complete  information  of  the  work  of  this  commission  and  a  list 
of  its  publications  address  the  author  of  this  chapter. 

95 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

pastors  and  leading  laymen  of  the  various  charges 
were  called  together  in  group  meetings,  and  rural 
conditions  were  freely  discussed  and  thoughtfully 
studied.  Each  Church  was  considered  with  respect 
to  its  local  environment,  and  its  relation  to  the  com- 
munity of  which  it  was  a  part.  The  organization  of 
"The  Country  Church  Commission"  was  a  very 
logical  outgrowth  of  the  attempt  to  better  conditions 
and  encourage  the  discouraged  leaders.  The  Com- 
mission is  composed  of  five  prominent  laymen  and 
three  pastors,  all  of  whom  possess  the  spirit  of  the 
Country  Life  Movement.  This  action  proved  the 
beginning  of  many  good  things.  Earnest  thought  and 
honest  endeavor  are  the  good  soil  out  of  which  is 
certain  to  come  wise  means  and  methods  of  ministry. 
The  work  of  the  Commission  had  to  do  mainly  with 
better  salaries  for  the  pastors,  better  buildings  through 
which  to  do  the  work,  better  methods  and  means,  and 
a  new  vision  of  social  service  and  community -building. 
The  work  of  the  Commission  was  also  to  be  educa- 
tional, inspirational,  and  supplemental.  The  men  in 
the  field  upon  whom  fell  the  heavier  portion  of  the 
burden  needed  just  this  sort  of  assistance.  It  would 
tide  the  pastors  over  many  hard  places,  and  put  new 
life  into  many  languid  laymen.  Churches  that  had 
stood  for  two  generations  were  to  be  rebuilt  and  re- 
adapted.  The  young  people  were  to  be  provided  with 
social  rooms  and  suitable  entertainment.  The  men 
and  women  outside  of  the  Church  were  to  be  inter- 
ested and  enlisted  in  a  campaign  of  community- 
building.  The  children  of  all  the  families  must  find 

96 


EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 

in  the  Sunday  school  a  center  for  training  in  the 
Christian  principles  of  right  living.  This  was  to  be 
done  by'  well-trained  teachers,  using  the  latest  ap- 
proved methods  of  instruction. 

4.    Pastoral  Leadership 

In  one  charge,  where  a  church  had  remained  un- 
altered for  almost  three-quarters  of  a  century,  a  new 
pastoral  leader  came.  The  auditorium  was  refinished, 
and  attractive  social  rooms  were  arranged  in  the 
basement.  With  this  new  equipment,  the  young 
people  were  gathered  together  for  social  evenings  to 
the  number  of  one  hundred.  A  Men's  League  of 
fifty  members  was  organized,  and  they  now  have 
regular  monthly  suppers  and  socials.  For  years  the 
dance-hall  had  held  the  young  people,  largely  because 
the  Church  had  failed  to  provide  a  place  for  them. 
A  generation  ago  there  was  no  place  in  the  church  for 
the  boy  and  the  girl. 

Churches  that  had  been  closed  on  week  nights 
were  opened,  and  thus  they  helped  fill  empty  churches 
on  Sundays.  Young  people  who  are  locked  out  of 
churches  during  six  days  each  week  are  not  apt  to 
fill  our  churches  on  Sunday.  One  pastor  secured  the 
consent  of  his  Official  Board  to  use  the  basement  for 
a  boys'  club-room.  This  was  the  first  practical  plan 
for  saving  the  boys  of  that  village.  The  pastor  spent 
much  time  with  the  young  men,  and  a  point  of  con- 
tact was  made  with  the  un-churched  portion  of  the 
community.  Fathers  who  had  never  attended  church 
occupied  a  pew  on  Sunday,  and  freely  gave  their 
7  97 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

money  to  aid  the  man  who  was  ministering  to  their 
sons;  so  that  the  solution  of  the  boy  problem  helped  to 
solve  the  man  problem.  The  Master  Himself  declared 
that  "He  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister;"  and  this  wise  pastor  sought  to  put  the 
emphasis  where  Jesus  had  placed  it,  and  then  trusted 
Him  for  results.  The  emphasis  was  transferred  from 
saving  the  Church  to  that  larger  appeal  of  saving  the 
community.  The  village  church  was  no  longer  a  one- 
day  affair,  where  people  sang  about  the  "Sweet  by 
and  by."  Religion  became  a  natural  part  of  the 
e very-day  life  of  the  people,  and  honest  business  on 
Monday  was  made  to  square  with  an  honest  gospel 
on  Sunday.  Clean  athletics  were  linked  up  with  a 
clear  conscience.  The  pastor  demonstrated  the  fact 
that  Christianity  has  to  do  with  the  whole  man — 
mind,  body,  and  spirit — and  that  in  a  very  real  sense 
these  three  are  one. 

The  question  of  Sunday  baseball  was  decided  not 
by  vote  of  the  village  council,  but  by  the  Christian 
conviction  of  the  young  men  on  the  ball  team,  who 
for  ten  months  had  been  attending  the  "Sky  Pilot's" 
night  school.  The  Sabbath  desecrating  element  of  the 
village  awoke  to  find  that  the  young  preacher  reaped 
a  splendid  harvest  as  a  result  of  his  faithful  sowing. 
While  the  enemy  slept,  he  had  sown  good  seed  and, 
in  strict  accord  with  divine  law,  reaped  a  good  harvest. 

Another  pastor  won  back  a  lost  community  by 
the  force  of  personal  leadership.  He  became  a  "social 
engineer,"  and  mapped  out  his  program  as  carefully 
as  Cecil  Rhodes  did  his  policy  of  continent  recon- 

98 


EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 

struction.  He  made  it  broad  enough  to  appeal  to 
the  entire  community,  and  sufficiently  practical  to 
enlist  the  best  brains  6f  the  village.  Realizing  that 
to  know  the  field  was  the  first  essential  in  any  ad- 
vance movement,  a  careful  survey  of  two  townships 
was  made,  and  a  house-to-house  census  taken.  The 
study  was  made  to  include  social,  economic,  and  edu- 
cational features,  as  well  as  the  moral  and  religious. 
With  this  information  secured,  the  next  step  was  to 
inform  the  people  of  the  facts,  many  of  which  were 
new  and  startling,  even  to  the  oldest  inhabitants; 
and  then  to  arouse  them  to  action  in  seeking  to  meet 
the  needs  as  they  had  been  revealed. 

The  pastor  considered  himself  a  community- 
builder,  and  that  has  to  do  with  schools  and  homes, 
as  well  as  Churches.  He  found  his  program  must 
include  clean  athletics,  under  Christian  leadership; 
good  roads,  better  sanitation,  and  economic  co-oper- 
ation in  buying  and  selling.  Team-work  among  the 
boys  when  playing  baseball,  and  team-work  among 
the  farmers  in  their  daily  tasks  and  problems.  The 
foreigner  must  be  reached,  and  this  added  another 
item  to  his  program.  Community  gatherings  must 
be  encouraged,  and  new  community  ideals  must  be 
kept  before  the  minds  of  young  and  old.  The  Church, 
instead  of  being  open  one  hour  of  one  day  a  week, 
was  now  open  several  evenings  each  week;  lectures, 
entertainments,  and  sociables  were  made  contribu- 
tory to  the  one  supreme  purpose  of  the  Master,  wha 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost. 

The  result  was  that  the  Church  came  to  occupy 
99 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

its  rightful  place  as  a  religious  and  social  center.  The 
old  building  was  repaired  and  repainted.  The  yard 
was  kept  clean  and  heat.  The  horse-sheds  were  re- 
built, and  everybody  was  happy  over  the  miracle 
that  had  been  wrought  by  an  earnest  application  of 
common-sense  methods.  The  few  faithful  saints  who 
were  trying  to  hold  the  fort  had  long  feared  that  the 
end  was  near.  They  only  dared  to  hope  that  it  might 
not  come  during  their  day.  The  farms  had  changed 
owners,  and  many  persons  with  a  foreign  accent  were 
now  living  on  the  old  homesteads,  where  for  genera- 
tions father  and  son  had  lived  and  labored  and  died. 
The  new  pastor  took  an  inventory  and  came  to  the 
decision  that  the  Christian  thing  to  do  was  not  to 
retreat,  but  to  retrench  and  reinforce.  Acting  upon 
this  conviction,  he  went  out  after  the  Bohemians, 
Finns,  and  Russians,  and  said,  "We  want  you  and 
your  children  to  come  to  our  church  and  Bible  school." 
Out  of  two  Greek  Catholic  families  he  added  six  new 
scholars  to  the  Sunday  school.  These  children  are 
seldom  absent,  and  always  bring  their  offering  for 
both  services.  Our  churches  are  to  serve  the  people 
— all  the  people — all  the  time.  They  are  the  com- 
munity's servants,  and  not  for  any  one  class  or  na- 
tionality. We  may  adapt  them  to  modern  condi- 
tions, but  we  dare  not  allow  them  to  be  closed. 

In  line  with  the  Forward  Movement  in  rural 
Church  work,  one  pastor  led  his  people  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  sidewalk  from  the  electric  railway  sta- 
tion .to  the  center  of  the  village,  and  the  placing  of  a 
few  street-lamps  to  guide  the  travelers  who  often 

100 


EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 

travel  without  lanterns  and  rubber  boots.  This 
caused  the  "  unregenerate "  to  speak  a  good  word 
instead  of  a  bad  one  for  the  Methodists,  when  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  they  were  able  to  walk  on  the  top 
of  the  ground.  The  gravel  on  the  sidewalk  during 
week  days  helped  to  put  "sand"  into  the  sermon  on 
the  Sabbath. 

The  rural  young  people  in  some  communities 
were  unable  to  secure  good  books,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  village  had  no  library.  A  little  investiga- 
tion opened  a  way  by  which  the  Church  could  aid  in 
supplying  this  need.  On  invitation,  the  State  organ- 
izer of  libraries  came  and  looked  over  the  field,  and 
replied  that  loan  libraries  of  two  hundred  volumes 
would  be  furnished  for  the  people,  and  the  only  ex- 
pense would  be  the  cost  of  transportation  to  and  from 
the  State  Library.  These  books  could  be  used  from 
three  to  six  months  and  then  exchanged  for  others. 
This  plan  has  already  been  put  into  operation  in 
several  villages  and  rural  centers,  and  is  proving  to 
be  one  of  many  practical  ways  by  which  the  pastor 
may  be  of  real  service  as  a  community  leader,  sup- 
plementing the  prescribed  program  of  Church  work. 

5.    The  Greatest  Need— Co-operation 

The  pride  and  at  the  same  time  the  peril  of  the 
farmer  is  his  independence.  His  environment  and 
his  occupation  make  co-operation  all  but  impossible. 
While  the  nation  is  indebted  to  rural  life  for  the  pro- 
duction of  moral  stability  and  individual  conviction, 
the  farmer  has  not  been  able  to  cope  commercially 

101 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

with  city  combines  and  municipal  middlemen,  who 
have  robbed  him  of  millions  of  dollars  annually.  The 
producers  of  the  world's  food  must  get  together,  and  as 
a  means  to  that  end  the  country  Church  must  be  a 
sort  of  John  the  Baptist  to  prepare  the  way.  Rural 
co-operation  must  be  built  on  rural  confidence,  and  the 
latter  goes  back  to  the  bed-rock  of  Christian  brother- 
hood. The  Grange  and  other  social  agencies  have 
done  good  work,  but  they  have  not  and  can  not  do  the 
thing  that  is  most  needed  without  the  assistance  of 
the  country  Church,  which  holds  the  key  to  the  so- 
lution of  the  problem,  and  must  be  one  of  the  chief 
agencies  in  the  Country  Life  Movement  of  America. 

6.    Three  Great  Rural  Leaders 

The  results  brought  about  in   Denmark  by  the 
good  Bishop  Grundtvig  in  behalf  of  the  rural  people 
^,      ^         of  his  own  nation  constitute  one  of 
JJJJL        Jfc|k       the  most  commendable  examples  of 
jm  mL     consecrated     leadership     in     recent 

JK  B    years.     He  brooded  over  the  condi- 

I   tions    until    his    whole    being    was 
jj^^J  stirred;  then  with  "prophetic  sense 
I^L    jjl     WJ   ^e   saw   tnat»    if   salvation   was   to 
V     come,    it   must    be    brought    about' 
^9B  from  within,  through^the  enlighten- 

ment of  all  the  people,  and  that  the 
BISHOP  GRUNDTVIG    individual  must  be  educated  to  be 

more  virtuous,  more  intelligent,  more  skillful,  and  more 
industrious,  and  to  have  a  true  patriotism  for  the  re- 
viving of  the  soiritual  life  of  the  masses."  Though 

102 


EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 

his  work  began  with  the  economic  and  intellectual 

phases  of  life,  it  culminated  in  the  moral  and  spiritual 

life. 

Another  noted  leader  worthy  of  our  careful  study 

was  Charles  Kingsley,  who  for  thirty-three  years  was 
the  pastor  of  the  country  parish  of 
Eversley.-  He  possessed  a  unique 
personality,  and  was  a  man  of  mag- 
nificent parts;  the  one  among  the 
many  who  was  willing  to  trust  God 
that  his  talents  could  be  well  in- 
vested in  the  work  of  a  country 
village.  He  was  as  gentle  as  a 
woman,  and  yet  heroic.  He  was 
sympathetic,  and  yet  stalwart.  He 

CHARLES  KINGSLEY      was    ^^    and    ^    pmcdcal.       He 

possessed  humility  without  being  either  weak  or  pas- 
sive. He  was  tender  and  sensitive  to  others'  wrongs, 
but  forgetful  of  himself  and  his  own  suffering.  He 
was  aggressive  in  action,  and  yet  temperate  in  spirit. 
He  was  morally  fearless,  and  spiritually  heroic. 
Kingsley  was  a  model  pastor  and  a  masterful  preacher. 
He  visited  the  people  night  and  day,  until  he  knew 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  by  name,  and,  better 
still,  he  knew  their  inmost  needs.  Without  regard  to 
class  or  culture,  he  "went  about  doing  good."  "If 
man  or  woman  were  suffering  or  dying,  he  would 
go  to  them  five  or  six  times  a  day — and  night  as  well 
as  day — for  his  own  heart's  sake,  as  well  as  for  their 
soul's  sake."  "What  is  the  use,"  he  says,  "of  talking 
to  a  lot  of  hungry  paupers  about  heaven?"  He  be- 

103 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

lieved  that  they  must  first  be  fed  and  made  to  feel 
some  degree  of  satisfaction  with  their  earthly  lot. 
He  was  a  believer  in  saving  the  whole  man.  Our 
present-day  social  theories  were  matters  of  every-day 
practice  with  him  in  his  work  at  Eversley.  He  was 
a  community-builder.  He  was,  above  all,  a  spiritual 
leader. 

Every  rural  pastor  and  layman  ought  to  study 
the  life  of  John  Frederick  Oberlin,  another  great 
leader  who  was  more  than  a  century 
in.  advance  of  his  generation.  The 
story  is  as  inspiring  as  it  is  suggest- 
ive to  the  Christian  leaders  of  this 
present  century.  He  was  the  eight- 
eenth century  prophet  of  a  new  era 
in  the  country  Church.  What  he 
taught,  as  well  as  the  things  he 
wrought  out  in  deeds,  give  him  high 
JOHN  FREDERICK  rank  m  the  annals  of  missionary 

OBERLIN  heroism. 

The  breadth  of  his  program,  the  sanity  of  his 
preaching,  and  the  courageous  patience  displayed  in 
dealing  with  the  inhabitants  of  a  "wild,  rough,  and 
barren"  country  provides  an  adequate  conception 
of  a  rural  pastor  who  possessed  both  vision  and 
valor.  He  belonged  to  those  whom  the  apostle 
described  as  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works.  He  was  a  scholar  in  the  best  sense  of 
that  term,  without  any  taint  of  pedantry.  He 
was  a  genius,  with  the  practical  adaptation  of  a 
business  expert. 

104 


EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 

Nothing  human  was  foreign  to  this  prophet  of 
God  in  his  work  as  a  Christian  minister.  He  always 
kept  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  people  supreme,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  labored  to  transform  environ- 
ment so  as  to  enrich  the  social,  industrial,  and  eco- 
nomic life  of  each  family.  Everything  was  done  with 
a  religious  motive,  and  thus  he  sought  to  spiritualize 
the  total  life  of  the  community.  He  has  been  one  of 
our  leaders  for  more  than  a  century,  but  only  within 
recent  years  have  educational  authorities  seen  the 
wisdom  of  making  agriculture  a  part  of  the  curric- 
ulum of  our  rural  schools. 

The  village  of  Waldbach  and  its  environs  was  to 
him  a  divinely  selected  parish.  He  felt  commissioned 
of  Christ  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  this  people.  The 
call  was  not  merely  to  evangelize,  but  to  Christianize 
the  people  and  the  entire  social  order  of  which  they 
were  a  vital  part.  He  did  not  think  it  sufficient  to 
merely  preach  to  them  on  Sundays  and  leave  them 
in  ignorance.  They  must  be  educated,  and  as  their 
chosen  leader,  he  would  supply  that  need.  They 
were  without  knowledge  as  to  farming,  and  conse- 
quently they  were  poor  and  unhappy.  He  would  or- 
ganize an  agricultural  society,  and  enlighten  them  as 
to  soils,  fertilizers,  proper  seeds,  and  have  them  use 
care  in  adaptation  cf  vegetables  and  cereals  to  par- 
ticular kinds  of  land.  This  necessitated  sending  to 
other  countries  for  choice  seeds  and  plants,  and  the 
replacing  of  their  crude  farm  implements  with  modern 
ones,  that  he  ordered  from  Strasburg.  They  were 
shut  off  from  civilization  and  needed  good  roads,  and 

105 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

this  need  he  was  able  to  supply  as  a  part  of  his  social 
program. 

What  a  great  work  a  large  man  can  do  in  a  small 
field,  if  he  will  but  follow  in  the  steps  of  "Him  who 
went  about  doing  good!"  He  never  narrowed  his 
work,  and  did  not  believe  that  the  "human  soul 
could  be  adequately  considered  apart  from  its  food, 
its  home,  its  work,  and  its  wages."  It  has  taken  the 
Church  a  long  time  to  appreciate  the  wisdom  of  such 
leadership,  but  we  see  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  in  the 
work  of  the  rural  Church. 

What  was  accomplished  through  the  labors  of 
these  men  is  a  splendid  justification  of  our  plea  for 
trained  leadership  in  behalf  of  the  millions  who  live 
outside  our  great  cities. 

7.    The  Call  of  the  Rural  Church 

The  country  Church  is  the  one  institution  that 
has  done  and  can  do  most  to  enrich  individual  char- 
acter, make  homes  happier,  and  daily  toil  more  at- 
tractive and  gainful.  Other  societies  may  supple- 
ment, but  none  can  replace  the  work  of  the  Christian 
Church.  As  its  steeple  towers  above  every  other 
building  in  hamlet  and  village,  so  its  ideals,  its  inspi- 
ration, its  message  and  ministry  to  men,  its  hopes 
and  helps  are  pre-eminent.  This  presents  a  need,  a 
duty,  a  call,  and  an  opportunity  rich  in  possibilities. 
The  need  is  urgent  and  the  call  is  commanding.  We 
would  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth 
leaders  who  are  as  practical  as  they  are  pure,  and  as 
productive  in  ministry  as  they  are  progressive  in 
method. 

106 


EFFICIENCY  AND  LEADERSHIP 

GIVE  US  MEN. 
"Give  us  men! 
Men  from  every  rank, 
Fresh  and  free  and  frank; 
Men  of  thought  and  reading, 
Men  of  light  and  leading, 
Men  of  loyal  breeding, 
Men  of  faith,  and  not  of  faction, 
Give  us  men!     I  say  again, 
Give  us  men! 

"Give  us  men! 

Strong  and  stalwart  ones; 
Men  whom  highest  hope  inspires, 
Men  whom  purest  honor  fires, 
Men  who  trample  self  beneath  them, 
Men  who  make  their  country  wreathe  them 

As  her  noble  sons, 

Worthy  of  their  sires! 
Men  who  never  shame  their  mothers, 
Men  who  never  fail  their  brothers, 
True,  however  false  are  others. 

Give  us  men!     I  say  again, 
Give  us  men! 

"Give  us  men! 

Men  who,  when  the  tempest  gathers, 
Grasp  the  standard  of  their  fathers 

In  the  thickest  of  the  fight; 
Men  who  strike  for  home  and  altar 
(Let  the  coward  cringe  and  falter), 

God  defend  the  right! 
True  as  truth,  though  lorn  and  lonely, 
Tender,  as  the  brave  are  only; 
Men  who  tread  where  saints  have  trod, 
Men  for  country  and  for  God. 

Give  us  men!     I  say  again,  again, 
Give  us  such  men!" 

— THE  BISHOP  OF  EXETER. 
107 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Education  of  Ministers  for  Service 
in  Rural  Churches 


BY  GEORGE  FREDERICK  WELLS,  B.  S.,  B.  D., 

Pastor  of  the  Federated  Church  of  Tyringham,  Mass.,  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Country  Church  Commission  of  the  Methodist 
Federation  for  Social  Service. 

Introduction. — We  hold  in  mind  throughout  this 
chapter  a  single  definition  of  the  term  "rural."  It 
will  mean  the  same  as  the  term 
"country,"  as  applied  to  pastors, 
Churches,  communities,  and  social 
problems.  There  are  differences  be- 
tween the  village  churches  and  the 
cross-roads  churches  in  the  open 
country,  but  we  can  not  descend  to 
hair-splitting  distinctions.  We  will 
talk  about  preparing  ministers  for 
work  in  all  communities  which  are, 
in  general,  townships  where  two 
thousand  or  fewer  people  reside,  and  in  which  agri- 
cultural or  agrarian  life  dominates.  We  take  the 
same  standard  as  that  of  the  Country  Church  article 
of  the  "Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture."1 

Bailey,  L.  H.:  "Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,"  vol.  IV,  pp.  297- 
303.    The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York,  1909. 

108 


REV.  MR.  WELLS 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

The  reading  of  this  chapter  will  not  produce 
eighty  thousand  fully-equipped,  efficient  pastors  for 
service  in  rural  churches.  Neither  will  it  furnish  the 
knowledge,  vision,  and  moral  incentive  with  which  a 
corps  of  teachers,  in  a  special  university  department, 
might  train  even  a  small  number  of  country  pastors. 
It  has  seemed  better  to  state  the  outstanding  char- 
acteristics of  a  well-trained  rural  minister  than  to 
tabulate  in  full  detail  the  course  of  studies  which 
should  be  pursued  in  gaining  them.  This  chapter, 
therefore,  expresses  something  of  an  ideal  which  has 
not  been  attained.  So  far  as  possible,  however,  the 
methods,  as  well  as  the  ideal,  are  presented. 

The  importance  of  such  a  study  as  this  can  not 
be  overestimated.  There  are,  in  this  country  alone, 
about  eighty  thousand  rural  pastors  who  need  every 
available  educational  aid.  But  this  is  not  all.  In 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  for  instance,  there 
are  five  hundred  district  superintendents,  nearly  every 
one  of  whom  is  responsible  for  some  manner  of  over- 
head leadership  or  general  administration  of  rural  par- 
ishes. There  are  fully  two  thousand  more  men  in 
other  denominations  who  have  similar  responsibil- 
ities, for  which  special  instruction  and  training  is 
urgently  desired  and  demanded.  The  criticism  of  our 
colleges  and  theological  seminaries  for  their  failure  at 
the  point  of  rural-mindedness  is  not  more  intense  than 
is  the  desire  of  all  these  schools  to  meet  this  great 
need. 

The  Scholastic  Training  of  the  Rural  Minister  in- 
Outline. — By  what  training  shall  a  minister  be  pre- 
109 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

pared  for  service  in  rural  Churches?  Whether  his 
gifts  incline  him  to  the  standards  of  scholarship  or  of 
practical  efficiency,  he  should,  in  common  with  all 
ministers,  have  a  high-school  education,  including 
Latin,  one  or  two  modern  languages,  Greek,  the 
sciences,  mathematics,  history,  and  English;  he  should 
have  a  liberal  education  at  college,  including  eco- 
nomics and  sociology,  philosophy,  the  natural  sci- 
ences, history,  literature,  and  the  modern  languages; 
and  he  should  have  a  theological  seminary  education, 
including  Hebrew  and  Greek;  systematic,  practical, 
and  historical  theology,  pedagogy,  and  religious  and 
social  institutions,  movements,  and  problems.  This, 
in  general,  should  represent  the  standard  for  the  rural 
as  well  as  for  the  urban  minister.  There  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  have  country  ministers  ranking 
with  the  great  city  ministers  of  our  day  as  national 
leaders. 

Any  young  man  with  a  clear  call  to  the  ministry, 
and  with  ordinary  gifts  of  personality,  common- 
sense,  and  religious  idealism,  may  supplement  this 
native  material  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  reasonably 
sure  of  success  in  the  rural  parish.  This  supple- 
mentary education  may  be  described  under  the  fol- 
lowing heads: 

1.  A  standard  philosophy  of  rural  improvement. 

2.  Catholicity    of   acquaintance   with    the    rural 
movement. 

3.  Rural -mindedness. 

4.  An    invincible    purpose    and    enthusiasm    for 
rural  spiritualization. 

110 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

1.    A  Standard  Philosophy  of  Rural  Improvement 

The  first  thing  which  ministers  need  to  learn  as 
a  part  of  their  preparation  for  service  in  rural  Churches 
is  a  standard  philosophy  of  country  life  improvement 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  Church.  If  possible, 
each  man  should  know  the  ultimate  philosophy  of 
the  question.  No  one  has  a  perfect  philosophy  of 
human  life  in  general;  much  less  have  we  arrived  at 
perfection  in  the  discovery  of  a  perfect  philosophy  of 
rural  social  improvement.  Other  things  equal,  how- 
ever, a  minister's  success  will  be  according  to  his 
mastery  of  the  best  possible  philosophy  of  his  work. 
The  fearful  limitations  of  the  rural  Churches  of  the 
South  are  largely  due  to  their  limited  ideal  and 
philosophy  of  work.  Hardly  more  than  one-seventh 
of  the  program,  which  the  best  philosophy  of  the 
subject  demands,  is  now  practiced. 

The  following  dialogue  exhibits  the  outlook  of 
two  country  ministers  with  differing  philosophies.  It 
is  given  entire  to  show  the  practical  value  of  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  complete  cycle  of  the  social  development 
of  a  Church  in  community  life: 

"Have  you,"  I  asked  of  one  of  two  resi- 
dent pastors  in  a  small  country  community,  "a  pro- 
gram of  constructive  work  for  your  Church  and 
parish?" 

"Just  what  do  you  mean  by  that  question?" 

"You  are  a  pastor,"  I  explained,  "you  are  ex- 
pected to  fill  your  pulpit,  lead  your  prayer-meetings, 
call  upon  your  people,  and  bury  your  dead.  Custom 
leads  you  in  those  things.  But  in  what  things  do  you 

111 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

lead?    Have  you  not  an  ideal  which  you  are  working 
out?     What  is  your  constructive  program?" 

"O  yes,  I  have  my  ideal,"  he  replied.  "I  don't 
believe  in  preaching  higher  criticism  or  science.  I 
believe  in  the  gospel  and  try  to  get  other  people  to 
believe  it.  When  they  are  ready  to  join  the  Church, 
I  want  them  to  join  my  Church.  If  they  do  n't 
choose  my  Church,  I  try  to  get  them  to  join  some 
other  Church.  That  is  the  broader  way.  I  believe 
in  building  up  the  Church.  \Vhat  is  the  minister  for, 
if  not  to  build  up  his  Church?" 

"That  is  good.  But  how  would  you  build  up 
your  Church?  The  modern  farmer  knows  that 
nitrogen,  potash,  phosphoric  acid,  and  lime  properly 
applied  will  build  up  his  meadows  to  any  desired 
fertility.  The  minister  can  build  up  his  Church  and 
parish  by  his  own  personal  leadership,  by  evangelism 
of  the  right  kinds,  by  Church  co-operation,  or  federa- 
tion, if  he  has  a  neighboring  Church  with  which  to 
work,  and  by  social  service.  Social  service  is  of  two 
kinds.  The  Church  may  work  through  the  Grange, 
the  schools,  and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, by  co-operation;  or  by  more  direct  institutional 
work  with  special  social  features  in  the  country." 

"But  I  don't  believe  in  institutional  work. 
That 's  what  's  killing  the  other  Church." 

"Do  you  mean  the  Nature  Club  and  the  Knights 
of  King  Arthur?"  I  asked. 

"That  's  just  what  I  mean,  and  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  too.  None  of  the  fellows  in 
that  boys'  club  go  to  church  very  much  as  I  can  see. 

112 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

They  just  go  to  the  club  for  a  good  time,  and  that  is 
the  end  of  it." 

"Do  the  same  boys  go  to  church  less  than  before 
the  club  began  to  interest  them?  Has  the  club 
harmed  the  boys?" 

"  I  do  n't  know  as  it  has  done  any  harm.  There  's 
nothing  religious  about  the  whole  thing.  The  boys' 
club  claims  to  be  fair,  but  it  has  only  two  of  our 
boys.  The  Nature  Club  elects  only  the  persons  they 
want  for  members.  That  County  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  won't  amount  to  anything.  It 's 
all  run  by  one  or  two.  In  fact,  the  other  minister  is 
run  by  one  man." 

"Do  you  think  so?"  was  my  response.  "I  was 
talking  with  that  very  man  about  that  matter.  I 
said  that  as  a  minister  I  was  not  dictated  to  by  my 
members,  and  he  said  that  he  would  not  be,  either. 
Now,  the  pastor  of  the  other  Church,"  I  had  to  say, 
"is  not  ruled  by  any  of  his  members.  Instead,  he 
has  a  program  of  work  for  the  whole  community. 
He  could  n't  be  a  worthy  minister  without  having 
just  that.  You  have  leaders  in  your  Church  whom 
you  might  direct,  if  your  ideal  were  big  enough.  The 
other  minister  is  just  as  religious  as  you  are,  and  he 
is  something  besides.  He  seeks  to  minister  to  the 
whole  life  of  his  people.  The  County  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  is  nothing  if  it  is  not  re- 
ligious. You  need  to  keep  in  touch  with  it.  It  is 
trying  to  do  the  things  you  leave  undone.  The 
same  with  the  Knights  of  King  Arthur  and  the 
Queens  of  Avalon.  The  Queens  of  Avalon  are  cer- 
8  113 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

tainly  fair  to  you.  The  three  leaders  are  one  from 
each  of  the  Churches." 

"Yes,  they  are  three  Sunday  school  teachers." 

"You  see  the  other  minister's  program,"  I  ex- 
plained. "You  should  have  your  program.  In  your 
program  you  should  not  seek  to  do  the  things  he  can 
do  better  than  you.  There  should  be  as  many  things 
you  can  do  better  than  he.  You  should  be  friendly 
to  talk  over  the  needs  of  the  whole  field  and  to  sup- 
ply them,  if  you  could.  Do  n't  you  need  co-operation 
in  your  plans?" 

"But  you  know  I  do  n't  believe  in  federation,"  he 
said.  "I  was  talking  this  matter  over  with  a  brother 
at  my  out  appointment.  He  said  he  did  n't  see  how 
we  could  federate,  because  we  had  nothing  to  feder- 
ate with.  Most  all  the  workers  in  prayer-meetings 
throughout  the  country,  whatever  Church  they  are 
in  now,  were  converted  at  our  altars.  And  I  think 
he  's  about  right.  I  do  n't  see  as  we  have  anything 
in  this  town  to  federate  with." 

Breadth  of  Vision  and  Training  Needed. — There  is 
not  a  country  pastor  in  America  who  does  not  have 
a  philosophy  concerning  his  work.  In  most  cases  it 
is  very  inadequate  and  one-sided.  There  are  but  few 
specialists  on  rural  improvement  who  have  a  philos- 
ophy and  practical  program  which  can  "go  on  all- 
fours." 

Not  long  ago,  in  a  lecture  at  a  country-life  con- 
ference, a  program  for  country  Churches,  which  had 
been  worked  out  as  a  product  of  experience,  as  well 
as  by  the  aid  of  the  scientific  method,  was  presented. 

114 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

It  gave  in  detail  the  seven  group  stages  of  the  fully- 
matured  country  Church.  After  the  lecture  every 
one  who  shared  in  the  open  conference  virtually  said : 
"That  program  is  theory.  We  care  nothing  about 
theory.  What  we  want  in  solving  the  country  Church 
problem  is  something  practical.  I  have  had  experi- 
ence. This  is  my  experience  as  to  how  to  get  the 
thing  done  practically."  He  proceeded  to  state  the 
things  which  he  had  done,  or  knew  needed  doing.  In 
every  case,  without  exception,  these  men  who  criti- 
cised the  theory  did  nothing  more  nor  less  than  to 
give  small  portions  of  theory  that  were  identical  with 
some  section  or  portion  of  the  program  outlined,  and 
that  had  been  worked  out  by  sociological  methods  on 
the  basis  of  thousands  of  experiments  and  observa- 
tions of  actual  instances.  Their  criticisms  tended 
only  to  prove  the  truth  of  the  program  they  sought  to 
obliterate.  It  measured  the  limitations  of  their  own 
ideas  on  the  subject,  and  proved  beyond  question  that 
the  value  of  work  is  determined  by  the  philosophy  of 
it.  It  takes  more  than  a  single  stone  to  make  a  mosaic. 

It  is  not  sufficient  here  to  point  out  the  need  with- 
out showing  a  way  to  meet  it.  How  may  a  minister 
secure  a  thorough  knowledge  of  a  standard  philosophy 
of  rural  improvement?  Some  leaders  would  say  that 
the  theological  seminaries  should  furnish  this  instruc- 
tion. For  instance,  Dr.  Warren  H.  Wilson  has  said: 

"Behind  the  country  Churches  stand  the  theo- 
logical seminaries;  professional  schools,  founded  and 
.established  for  the  training  of  ministers — originally, 
country  ministers.  At  the  present  time  these  schools, 

115 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

with  almost  no  exception,  are  rendering  an  entirely 
inadequate  service.  More  than  inadequate;  it  is 
misplaced,  and  has  the  effect  of  misdirection.  For 
three  years  the  student  for  the  ministry  is  detained 
away  from  the  study  which  he  should  pursue,  and  for 
a  good  part  of  that  time  he  is  diligently  trained  in 
studies  that  he  ought  never  to  follow.  The  country 
community,  therefore,  is  a  field,  in  the  case  of  most 
ministers,  for  original  investigation — untrained,  ama- 
teur, and  unsystematic  investigation — in  which  he 
has  no  help  from  those  appointed  to  be  his  helpers 
and  his  leaders.  For  the  reconstruction  of  the  theo- 
logical seminary,  the  sociological  analysis  of  the 
country  community  is  of  the  greatest  value.  It  should 
be  a  special  topic  to  which  for  a  long  time  to  come 
almost  unlimited  hours  should  be  devoted  in  the 
seminaries,  because  rural  sociology  is  of  initial  con- 
cern to  him  who  would  understand  the  American 
population  and  minister  to  the  need  of  the  whole 
American  people."1 

But  this  does  not  fully  answer  the  question.  The- 
ology in  the  equipment  of  the  minister  is  more  essen- 
tial than  sociology.  Though  it  is  not  impossible  for 
the  seminaries  to  furnish  the  necessary  technical  and 
laboratory  courses  in  rural  sociology,  there  is  a  better 
way  to  meet  the  demand.  Not  only  should  sociology, 
both  scientific  and  practical,  be  covered  in  one's  col- 
lege course,  but  rural  sociology,  both  general  and 
applied,  should  largely  be  covered  as  a  part  of  the 
college  curriculum.  Full  courses  in  rural  economics 

1  American  Journal  of  Sociology,  March,  1911. 

116 


EDUCATION    OF   MINISTERS    FOR   SERVICE 

and  sociology  should  be  as  much  a  part  of  the  train- 
ing of  every  man — the  lawyer,  the  physician,  the 
teacher,  the  merchant,  and  the  farmer — who  is  to 
live  and  serve  within  the  field  of  rural  America,  as 
much  as  of  the  minister.  The  courses  of  sociology 
which  may  well  serve  in  the  education  of  rural  leaders 
are  such  as  President  Kenyon  L.  Butterfield  outlines 
in  his  article,  ''Rural  Sociology  as  a  College  Dis- 
cipline.2 For  the  country  minister,  this  may  be  sup- 
plemented by  a  special  theological  seminary  course 
in  the  philosophy  of  rural  social  improvement  by  the 
Church. 

2.    Catholicity  of  Acquaintance  with  the  Rural  Movement 

The  second  great  thing  that  ministers  should  get 
to  prepare  themselves  for  rural  work  is  a  catholicity 
of  information  and  acquaintance  concerning  the  needs, 
resources,  and  progress  of  the  movement  for  rural 
improvement.  As  far  as  this  is  a  matter  of  informa- 
tion, it  can  be  secured  largely  from  the  literature  of 
country  life.  It  is  very  much  to  the  credit  of  some  of 
our  religious  periodicals  that  they  present  lists  of  the 
best  reading  matter  on  the  subject  of  the  country 
Church  and  country  life.  This  work  needs  to  go 
very  much  further  and  be  kept  up-to-date  by  some 
central  agency.  In  fact,  there  is  need  at  the  present 
time  for  a  comprehensive  bibliography  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  country  Church  and  country  life.  The 
theological  and  public  libraries  have  not  done  all  that 
they  might  in  providing  country  life  book-shelves. 

2  Annals  of  the  American  Academy  of  Political  ahd  Social  Science,  March, 
1912,  pp.  12-18,  Philadelphia. 

117 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

This  phase  of  social  service  needs  to  be  carried  for- 
ward speedily. 

Our  country  life  conferences  ought  very  soon  to 
include  in  their  programs  lectures  on  the  literary  side 
of  the  movement.  We  are  beginning  to  urge  the  de- 
mand for  at  least  one  institution  in  the  United  States 
which  shall  have  a  special  department  of  studies  for 
the  preparation  of  ministers  for  work  in  rural  fields. 
One  leading  country  pastor,  for  instance,  has  wisely 
said :  "I  am  going  to  outline  what  seems  to  me  to 
be  indispensably  necessary,  lying  ahead  of  the  de- 
nominations in  America  that 'are  at  all  prominent  in 
the  support  of  Churches  in  villages  and  country  par- 
ishes. It  is  that  interdenominational  divinity  schools 
be  located  and  provided  with  faculties,  curricula, 
and  rural  environment  for 'study  and  specialization 
of  different  country  life  problems.  We  must  have  a 
rural  ministry,  dignified,  modern,  thoroughly  trained, 
and  fully  abreast  of  the  constructive,  broad-minded 
agencies  which  are  promoting  more  general  phases  of 
social  service.  Am  I  not  right  in  thinking  that  our 
rural  ministry  to-day  is  in  urgent  need  of  vocational 
training,  and  that  we  should  have  seminaries  of  learn- 
ing equipped  with  proper  experiment  station  facilities 
for  gospel  work  in  the  open  country  and  in  hamlets 
and  villages?  Where  is  the  prominent  divinity  school 
in  this  land  that  so  much  as  knows  what  the  open 
country  and  our  villages  are  starving  for,  or  that  is 
not  located  where  the  big  city  atmosphere  so  per- 
vades the  whole  student  body  that  its  members  are 
unfitted  more  than  fitted  for  country  work?" 

118 


EDUCATION    OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

Such  a  department  should  include,  as  one  of  its 
courses,  a  course  on  country  life  bibliography.  There 
are  at  the  present  time  more  than  fifty  books  which, 
in  a  special  way,  belong  to  the  literature  of  the 
country  life  movement.  Some  of  these  treat  of  the 
Church  and  religious  phases  of  the  question ;  a  larger 
number,  perhaps,  concern  themselves  with  the  country 
school  and  the  educational  phases  of  the  movement; 
many  treat  of  economics  and  local  government,  while 
a  few  have  the  comprehensive  social  point  of  view. 
These  books  do  not  comprise  by  any  means  the  best 
or  the  most  important  portion  of  rural  literature. 
Many  pamphlets,  reports,  and  periodical  articles  are 
of  great  value.  No  country  minister  should  be  satis- 
fied to  consider  himself  prepared  for  his  work  until 
he  has  a  familiarity  with  the  best  of  this  material. 

The  course  on  bibliography  should  be  supple- 
mented by  a  course  on  religious  and  social  propa- 
ganda, which  should  take  up  comparative  studies  of 
rural  religious  movements,  methods,  and  progress. 

3.    Rural-Mindedness 

The  third  phase  of  the  country  minister's  educa- 
tion consists  of  his  getting  the  point  of  view  of  rural 
life.  He  must  be  rural-minded.  This  does  not  mean 
that  he  must  have  the  odor  of  the  farm  dairy  and  use 
the  language  of  uneducated  lumbermen.  It  does 
mean  that  he  shall  know  enough  of  American  national 
life  to  distinguish  between  its  urban  and  rural  factors, 
tendencies,  and  ideals;  and  that  he  shall  be  able  to 
appreciate  and  to  promote  all  that  is  best  in  rural 

119 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

civilization.  His  conversations  and  attitudes  should 
express  the  spirit  and  capacity  of  rural  leadership. 

It  may  be  asked  if  any  one  born  outside  of  the 
country  should  ever  expect  to  consider  himself  quali- 
fied for  work  in  rural  pastorates.  Some  would  say, 
Absolutely  no.  I  would  not  thus  answer  the  question. 

It  is  true  that  under  existing  educational  condi- 
tions the  most  available  portion  of  the  training  of 
many  men  for  rural  pastorates  is  that  received  on 
farms  previous  to  attending  high-school.  That 
eighty  per  cent  of  all  the  ministers  in  this  country 
are  born  and  reared  outside  of  the  cities,  is  strong 
evidence  that  rural  environment  means  much  in  the 
making  of  ministers.  But  it  does  not  mean  everything. 

The  qualities  of  personal  leadership,  whatever  the 
habitat,  mean  more  in  the  equipment  of  a  minister 
than  any  accident  of  boyhood  surroundings.  It  would 
be  as  sensible  to  say  that  all  city  ministers  shall  be 
city-born  as  that  all  rural  ministers  shall  be  rural- 
born.  The  man  who  can  not  orient  himself  in  rural 
life  would  not  be  worth  while  as  a  country  minister, 
had  his  nativity  been  in  the  densest  forest  on  the 
continent.  It  happens  to-day  that  several  of  the 
most  successful  country  pastors  are  graduates  from 
city  and  town  pulpits.  No  man  is  acceptably  edu- 
cated for  the  social  ministries  of  the  modern  Church, 
either  in  city  or  country,  who  does  not  know  American 
civilization  as  a  whole.  We  learn  some  things  by 
contrasts.  John  Frederic  Oberlin  was  a  city  product. 
Rural-mindedness  may  be  acquired. 

This  question  is  not  so  simple  as  it  may  appear. 
120 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

The  great  curse  of  the  rural  community  to-day  is  the 
urban-mindedness  of  the  individuals  who  comprise 
it.  It  is  this  condition  that  has  created  the  rural 
problem.  The  average  country  minister's  ideal  of 
success  is  his  graduation  from  rural  into  town  and 
city  pulpits.  Such  a  spirit  should  not  exist.  The 
most  strenuous  and  effective  educational  work  pos- 
sible is  required  to  correct  the  evil.  If  this  can  be 
aided  by  birthright  rural-mindedness  on  the  part  of 
our  candidates  for  the  rural  ministry,  so  much  the 
better.  Our  country  ministers  must  work  because 
they  love  and  believe  in  their  work  as  a  contribution 
to  the  rural  civilization,  without  which  the  nation  as 
a  whole  must  fail. 

Shall  Rural  Ministers  Receive  Agricultural  College 
Training? — The  second  question  in  this  relation  is 
as  to  whether  the  country  minister  should  have  a 
portion  of  his  schooling  in  an  agricultural  college. 

Ex-Governor  Brewer,  of  Pennsylvania,  expressed 
one  view  of  the  question  when  he  said : 

"The  trouble  with  the  country  minister  is  that 
he  does  not  know  how  to  farm.  The  old-style  preach- 
ers could  farm  and  did  farm.  They  taught  their 
people  how  to  farm  the  land.  The  theological  semi- 
naries should  so  train  the  minister  that  he  would 
know  how  to  bore  a  hole  in  the  ground  and  see  whether 
that  spot  would  do  for  the  planting  of  a  Baldwin 
apple-tree." 

Doctor  Warren  H.  Wilson,  in  the  following  state- 
ments, more  than  balances  the  Governor's  notion: 

"Modern  life  demands  the  service  of  specialists, 
121 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

but  to  specialize  in  agriculture  does  not  prepare  a 
man  to  serve  in  theology.  If  the  minister  can  get 
no  other  specialty  than  agriculture,  he  had  better 
serve  the  community  as  a  scientific  farmer,  and  be 
done  with  it.  The  modern  minister  is  to  serve  not 
vegetables,  but  men.  His  specialty  must  be  not  the 
chemistry  of  soils  nor  animal  husbandry,  but  he  is  to 
be  a  master  of  social  science,  because  the  ministry 
demanded  of  him  is  a  social  ministry  to  human  beings. 
Unless  one  is  willing  to  call  country  people  vegetables, 
he  should  not  think  that  scientific  agriculture  will  be 
the  preparation  for  serving  them." 

"It  is  not  the  province  of  the  Church,"  says 
Doctor  Wilbert  L.  Anderson,  uto  teach  directly  the 
new  agriculture,  but  rather  to  awaken  the  mind  of 
the  farmer,  and  arouse  in  him  the  spirit  of  idealism 
so  that  he  will  seek  the  new  agricultural  knowledge. 
The  Church  will  say  to  the  farmer,  Cultivate  your 
farm  in  the  better  way  to  make  the  most  of  your 
opportunity,  to  find  the  highest  zest  in  your  occupa- 
tion, and  to  glorify  your  calling.  As  country  minis- 
ters, you  will  know  less  of  farming  in  detail  than  your 
parishioners,  but  you  should  know  more  than  they 
of  the  spirit  of  progress." 

For  service  in  rural  Churches  our  ministers  need, 
and  should,  as  far  as  possible,  avail  themselves  of  the 
educational  advantages  of  our  best  agricultural  col- 
leges. In  no  other  way  can  they  place  themselves 
abreast  of  the  best  in  the  rural  world  which  it  is  their 
business  to  idealize.  Our  agricultural  colleges  train 
men  for  rural  leadership ;  not  to  be  mere  manipulators 

122 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

of  vegetables,  farm  implements,  animals,  and  mar- 
kets. No  colleges  and  no  departments  of  our  Amer- 
ican universities  come  nearer  to  solving  the  problem 
of  educating  men  for  modern  life  than  do  the  agri- 
cultural colleges.  If  they  are  not  so  well  adapted  for 
the  particular  task  of  training  men  for  rural  social 
and  spiritual  statesmanship  as  are  some  other  schools, 
their  spirit  of  progress  is  capable  of  speedily  making 
them  so.  The  era  of  co-operation  between  the  theo- 
logical seminaries  and  the  agricultural  colleges,  we 
trust,  will  soon  begin  to  render  to  the  world  of  the 
farmer,  which  even  now  counts  its  wealth  at  forty 
billion  dollars,  its  proper  plan  of  moral  leadership  in 
our  national  life,  which  is  both  earned  and  deserved. 
The  agricultural  colleges  of  to-day  are  pre-eminently 
the  educational  nurseries  and  kindergartens  of  the 
rural  civilization,  and  without  their  dominating  spirit 
no  minister  can  know  the  world  which  he  is  intended 
to  serve.  The  farmers'  school  and  the  farmers' 
Church  must  co-operate. 

4.    An  Invincible  Purpose  and  Enthusiasm  for  Rural 
Spiritualization 

It  has  been  observed  that  one  of  the  largest  ele- 
ments that  enters  into  the  experience  of  an  agri- 
cultural college  education  for  the  country  ministry 
is  that  of  personal  purpose.  It  may  possibly  be  said 
that  a  person  will  gain  success  in  spite  of,  rather  than 
because  of,  his  agricultural  training.  Such  a  conclu- 
sion can  not  be  based  upon  the  facts.  One  thing  is 
sure:  The  average  college  and  theological  seminary 

123 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

of  our  day  has  the  point  of  view  of  training  for  town 
and  city  work.  They  are  schools  located  in  large 
towns  and  cities,  with  professors  who  are  drawn  from 
successful  city  pastorates,  and  offering  to  graduates, 
as  rewards,  the  better  pulpits  of  town  and  city.  It 
is  unquestionably  true  that  the  young  man  who  fol- 
lows the  conventional  training  for  the  ministry,  but 
who  aims  for  the  rural  pastorate,  must  have  an  over- 
mastering purpose  to  enable  him  not  to  be  harmed 
by  the  means  used  if  he  reaches  the  goal. 

There  is  an  ethical  factor  that  must  not  be  omitted 
from  any  man's  preparation  for  the  country  ministry. 
It  matters  not  how  highly-developed  and  universally- 
valid  may  be  one's  philosophy  of  rural  improvement, 
how  catholic  one's  information  and  acquaintance  with 
the  large  rural  movement,  or  how  intimate  may  be 
one's  touch  with  the  conditions  of  rural  populations, 
if  a  person  does  not  have  a  purpose  adequate  to  make 
him  do  the  work  of  the  best  possible  rural  pastor,  his 
other  equipments  will  go  for  naught  so  far  as  country 
life  is  concerned. 

We  face  an  educational  problem.  It  is  not  a  ques- 
tion alone  of  what  the  rural  preacher  ought  to  have 
in  order  to  succeed  in  building  up  the  rural  com- 
munity, but  of  how  we  can  develop  and  inspire  in 
him  the  requisite  determination. 

In  his  book,  "  Religious  Life  in  America,"  Ernest 
Hamlin  Abbott  tells  of  a  certain  young  minister  who 
went  directly  from  the  theological  seminary  into  a 
lumber  town  of  New  Hampshire.  "There,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  missionary  society  of  his  denomina- 

124 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS   FOR   SERVICE 

tion,"  says  Mr.  Abbott,  "he  organized  a  Church. 
Highly  educated,  he  devoted  his  mental  acquirements 
to  the  improvement  of  the  town  schools.  Athletic, 
he  used  his  physique  in  compelling  the  disorderly 
element  in  the  population  to  respect,  if  not  wholly 
to  obey  the  laws.  Bred  in  the  lumber  regions,  he 
helped  to  cut  the  wood  for  the  church  building  he 
succeeded  in  erecting.  Broad  in  his  sympathies  and 
interests,  he  included  in  his  church  building  a  reading- 
room  and  gymnasium.  Distrustful  of  traditionalism, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  make  his  preaching  and  teach- 
ing accord  with  modern  knowledge.  Strongly  evan- 
gelical in  temperament,  he  drew  people  into  the 
Church  by  the  earnestness  with  which  he  declared 
his  faith  in  the  power  of  his  crucified  and  risen  Master, 
Christ.  At  the  end  of  a  few  years — perhaps  some  half- 
dozen — he  had  transformed  that  community.  But 
he  had  given  his  life.  From  sheer  exhaustion  he  died, 
broken  down  in  health  and  mind,  a  vicarious  sacrifice 
for  the  people  he  had  served." 

It  will  take  more  than  the  relating  of  such  in- 
stances to  produce  the  desired  result.  It  is  good, 
however,  for  us  to  note  at  least  the  direction  in  which 
the  ideal  lies.  That  one  man  had  the  purpose  is 
better  still.  It  shows  us  that  the  ideal  is  true. 

Suggestions  on  the  Solution  of  the  Educational 
Problem. — There  are  two  suggestions  that  may  aid 
in  gaining  the  desired  educational  end  in  far  wider 
measure.  It  is  true,  as  Dr.  Henry  Wallace  has  said, 
that  we  can  have  no  organized  country  Church  move- 
ment to-day,  because  we  do  not  have  a  sufficient 

125 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

number  of  leaders.  The  task  is  to  use  the  resources 
at  hand  in  developing  them;  or,  to  create  new  agen- 
cies for  the  specific  training  of  rural  religious  leaders 
in  the  denominational  schools  and  theological  sem- 
inaries. 

Much  is  being  written  relative  to  social  survey 
work  in  rural  communities.  We  recognize  that  the 
best  work  along  these  lines  can  not  be  done  until  the 
theological  seminaries  or  the  agricultural  colleges 
greatly  increase  what  may  be  called  laboratory  fa- 
cilities. The  average  country  minister  to-day  is 
unable  to  make  an  adequate  social  survey  of  his 
field,  even  though  he  has  placed  in  his  hands  a  guide 
for  such  work.  No  country  pastor  can  meet  the  de- 
mands for  social  engineering  who  can  not  diagnose 
the  social  situation  with  which  he  has  to  deal. 

Departments  of  rural  life  should  be  established  in 
connection  with  the  best  theological  seminaries  and 
denominational  colleges,  particularly  those  not  lo- 
cated in  large  cities.  In  addition  to  courses  in  rural 
sociology,  there  should  be  courses  in  the  science  and 
art  of  general  agriculture,  rural  home-making,  rural 
economics,  pedagogics  in  rural  religious  teaching,  and 
rural  Church  administration. 

Another  suggestion  is  that  larger  attention  be 
given  to  the  formation  of  an  inclusive  and  centrally- 
organized  country-life  movement  in  the  United 
States.3  The  Country  Life  Commission,  appointed 

JA  very  promising  organization  for  carrying  forward  the  great  rural  life 
movement  in  this  country  under  the  leadership  of  college  men  is  the  Col'egiate 
Country  Life  Club  of  America.  Copies  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  for 
local  chapters  may  be  secured  for  ten  cents  from  the  National  Secretary,  Prof. 
A.  W.  Nolan,  Urbana,  III. 

126 


EDUCATION   OF   MINISTERS    FOR   SERVICE 

by  President  Roosevelt,  was  a  fair  suggestion  of  what 
rural  America  needs.  Sir  Horace  Plunkett's  "The 
Rural  Life  Problem  of  the  United  States,"  is  another 
contribution  on  this  subject.  Such  an  agency  will  be 
able  to  concentrate  the  forces  of  education  for  the 
training  of  a  mighty  class  of  rural  ministers  and 
leaders  for  the  Churches  on  American  soil,  who  shall 
lead,  rather  than  follow,  in  the  upward  march  of 
rural  betterment. 


127 


CHAPTER  VII 

The    Principles    of    Apperception    and 

Association  in  Rural  Religious 

Teaching 

BY  GARLAND  A.  BRICKER. 

1.   The  Principle  of  Apperception 

A  FARMER  looks  over  his  billowing  field  of  wheat 
with  a 'source  of  great  satisfaction,  for  to  him  it  rep*- 
resents  the  reward  of  his  labors — food  for  his  family 
and  money  for  his  bank  account.  The  grain  dealer 
drives  past  the  same  field  and  is  delighted  with  the 
prospect;  to  him  it  means  a  source  of  supply  for  his 
elevator.  The  sight  of  the  waving  grain  puts  hope 
and  gladness  into  the  heart  of  the  community  thrasher ; 
he  knows  it  will  be  a  good  job  for  him  and  his  men. 
The  botanist  observes  what  perfect  specimens  of 
the  wheat  plant  are  in  that  field,  and  plucks  a  few 
clumps  of  the  queen  of  grasses  for  his  herbarium.  The 
minister  is  touched  with  the  wonderful  sight  and 
praises  God,  "  For  how  great  is  His  goodness,  and  how 
great  His-  beauty!  grain  shall  make  the  young  men 
flourish."  To  him  it  represents  infinite  wisdom,  great 
bounty,  and  tender  care. 

All  five  men  beheld  the  same  wheat-field,  but 
each  saw  something  different.  Each  received  a  new 

128 


APPERCEPTION  AND  ASSOCIATION 

thought,  a  new  inspiration,  a  new  perception  in 
terms  of  his  past  experience,  or  in  accordance  with 
his  habit  of  life.  Each  man,  then,  apperceived  the 
wheat-field  according  to  his  own  personality.  Apper- 
ception, as  the  term  is  used  in  psychology  and  in  the 
science  and  art  of  teaching,  is  the  perception  of  new 
things  in  relation  to  the  ideas  which  we  already 
possess. 

The  Application  of 'the  Principle. — A  little  girl  of 
the  city,  who  had  an  acquaintance  with  dogs,  visited 
in  the  country  and,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  saw 
a  pig.  She  called  it  a  fat  puppy.  The  idea  of  closest 
similarity  to  the  pig  that  the  child  possessed  was 
that  of  a  pup;  and  hence  she  apperceived  accord- 
ingly. 

Men  come  to  think  in  terms  of  their  habits  of 
life.  A  business  man  thinks  in  terms  of  dollars  and 
cents;  a  musician,  in  terms  of  harmonious  tones;  an 
artist,  in  terms  of  curves  and  colors;  a  preacher,  in 
terms-^bf  the  gospel  he  preaches;  and,  likewise,  the 

uff,  in  terms  of  his  life  in  the  country,  his  daily 
iation^  and  his  environment.  The  farmer  labors 
jvitn  the  natural  materials  of  the  farm,  field,  and 
orest.-  The  moods  of  Nature  furnish  the  conditions 
in  accordance  with  which  he  must  labor  and  by  which 
he  is  bound;  the  soil,  the  plants,  and  the  animals  are 
the  crude  materials  with  which  he  builds  his  fame; 
his  weapons  of  warfare  are  the  plow,  the  drill,  the 
cultivator,  the  harvester,  and  similar  implements  and 
machines;  and  back  of  all  these  and  over  them  all  is 
his  own  might  of  physical  force  and  the  power  of 
9  129 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

knowledge  concerning  his  science  and  art.  The 
farmer's  habit  of  life  is  agricultural,  and  his  thoughts 
are  inseparably  bound  up  with  it.  He  sees  new 
things  through  agricultural  eyes,  and  apperceives  new 
thoughts  through  his  farm  ideas. 

The  rural  minister  of  the  gospel  has  here  a  great 
opportunity  and  a  plain  duty.  His  parishioners  are 
farmers;  their  thoughts,  their  habits,  their  lives  are 
all  formed  in  accord  with  the  environing  influences 
under  which  they  serve  mankind  and  their  God. 
Business,  recreation,  and  education,  to  succeed,  must 
come  to  them  in  terms  of  rural  life  and  agricultural 
experience.  Why  not  religion?  It  must;  and  the  re- 
ligion that  had  its  origin  among  the  pastoral  people 
may  be  preached  with  peculiar  force  to  an  agri- 
cultural population. 

The  minister  of  the  country  Church  must  teach 
his  people  Christian  truths  in  terms  of  the  farm.  He 
will  need  a  new  stock  of  similes  and  metaphors.  His 
illustrations  should  be  drawn  from  the  common  ex- 
perience of  rural  people.  The  message  will  not  lose 
its  efficacy  when  transmitted  by  means  of  grain,  hay, 
cattle,  milk,  butter,  separators,  silos,  incubators, 
chickens,  eggs,  wagons,  horses,  feed,  plows,  soil, 
mulch,  fertilizers,  insecticides,  insects,  plant  diseases, 
fruits,  farm  insurance,  failure  of  crops,  etc.  These 
are  the  natural,  material  things  that  form  the  point 
of  contact  between  the  farmer  and  the  spiritual 
world.  The  rural  minister  that  will  compare  a  sinner 
to  a  sour  soil,  a  backslider  to  a  run-down  orchard, 
and  a  revival  to  the  renovation  of  such  an  orchard  by 

130 


APPERCEPTION  AND  ASSOCIATION 

pruning,  spraying,  and  grafting,  will  not  be  misunder- 
stood by  his  people. 

Factors  Influencing  Teaching  by  Apperception. — 
The  more  ideas  one  has  on  any  subject  or  department 
of  knowledge,  the  more  readily  will  he  be  able  to 
learn  new  ideas,  either  in  the  same  department  or  in 
a  different  sphere  of  similar  ideas.  For  this  reason 
new  ideas  make  the  slowest  progress  among  ignorant 


A  BACKSLIDER 

people.  Those  that  have  much  may.  readily  acquire 
more,  but  those  who  have  little  make  acquisitions 
slowly,  and  are  in  danger  of  losing  even  that  which 
they  already  possess.  The  principle  is  as  true  in  the 
realm  of  ideas  as  in  the  physical  and  commercial 
worlds.  The  more  a  farmer  knows  about  scientific 
agriculture,  the  more  readily  may  he  understand 
principles  new  to  him.  The  more  ideas  he  has  about 
agricultural  science  and  practice,  the  more  readily 

131 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

will  he  grasp  new  religious  ideas  that  have  a  similarity 
to  his  stock  of  agricultural  ideas. 

The  greatest  stock  of  ideas  that  rural  people 
possess  is  concerned  with  rural  life,  particularly  as 
found  on  the  farm.  The  sum  of  these  ideas  forms  the 
basis  by  which  they  grasp  new  ideas,  and  conditions 
their  quickest  and  best  thinking.  Country  people 
will  grasp  the  significance  of  a  religious  idea  more 
quickly  and  more  easily  if  it  is  presented  to  them  in 
terms  of  rural  life.  To  present  a  new  idea  to  a  rural 
audience  in  terms  of  any  other  profession  than  farm- 
ing, lessens  the  probability  that  it  will  be  thoroughly 
grasped,  because  the  basis  of  apperception  of  country 
people  is  made  up  very  largely  of  farm  ideas.  On 
this  account,  the  illustrations  used  in  religious  teach- 
ing in  rural  communities,  whether  in  the  Sunday 
school  or  the  pulpit,  should  be  distinctly  rural. 

In  order  that  his  parishioners  may  the  more 
readily  grasp  the  meaning  of  religious  truths  by  en- 
larging the  point  of  contact  between  agricultural 
ideas  and  religious  ideas,  the  rural  minister  will  find 
it  desirable  not  only  to  encourage  the  study  and  teach- 
ing of  agriculture  among  his  people,  but  he  may  even 
find  it  necessary  to  incidentally  teach  facts  pf  hus- 
bandry direct  from  his  pulpit  during  religious  services 
and  in  connection  with  his  sermon.  An  enlargement 
of  the  agricultural  knowledge  of  the  people  means  an 
enlargement  of  opportunities  to  make  conscious  ap- 
perceptive  teaching  effective. 

Men  learn  those  things  most  easily  in  which  they 
are  most  interested;  but  interest  is  conditioned  upon 

132 


APPERCEPTION  AND  ASSOCIATION 

the  quality  and  the  quantity  of  ideas  already  in  the 
mind.  Other  things  equal,  the  potentiality  of  ideas 
and  their  numerousness  enhance  interest.  But  on 
these  conditions  is  also  based  the  efficiency  of  apper- 
ception. So  we  see  that  interest  and  apperception 
function  under  similar  conditions  and  along  the  same 
lines.  Now,  the  farmer  and  his  family  are  very  in- 
tensely interested  in  agriculture,  because  out  of  this 
sphere  of  human  activity  the  majority  of  their  ideas 
and  experiences  have  come.  If  the  apperceptive 
factor  is  to  be  used  most  effectively  by  the  country 
preacher,  he  must  of  necessity  use  the  ideas,  the  facts, 
the  principles,  the  laws,  and  the  practices  of  agri- 
culture. 

It  is  assumed  in  this  discussion  that  the  rural 
minister  possesses  no  mean  training  in  agriculture. 
Indeed,  he  needs  to  know  a  little  more  about  the 
science  of  agriculture  and  its  application  than  does 
the  average  farmer  of  his  congregation.  In  many 
communities  the  live  and  talented  minister  may  pos- 
sibly attain  to  this  standard  through  reading  and 
careful  and  frequent  observation.  Attendance  at  the 
farmers'  short  course,  or  the  summer  session  of  a  col- 
lege or  university  where  agriculture  is  taught  for  the 
purpose  of  further  acquainting  himself  with  this 
science  and  art,  should  yield  ample  reward  for  the 
sacrifice.  Indeed,  the  time  has  arrived  when,  as  a 
condition  of  preaching  in  the  rural  church,  the  min- 
ister should  be  required  to  possess  a  certain  amount 
of  agricultural  knowledge.  The  seminaries  and  de- 
nominational schools  should  awaken  to  their  duty 

133 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

and  opportunity  of  offering  at  least  one  course 
throughout  one  year  in  the  elementary  principles  of 
general  agriculture,  as  well  as  briefer  courses  in  rural 
sociology  and  rural  economics. 

2.    The  Principle  of  Association 

The  association  of  ideas  is  another  principle  of 
psychology.  It  has  reference  to  the  power  of  repre- 
sentation— memory.  One  thought  causes  another  to 
come  into  consciousness,  because  they  have  been 
associated  in  the  mind.  One  thought  suggests  an- 
other. The  association  of  ideas  by  the  mind  may  be 
due  to  several  distinct  causes. 

One  of  the  most  potential  causes  of  the  associa- 
tion of  ideas  is  because  of  likeness  and  contrast.  My 
mention  of  the  idea,  "cross,"  brings  to  the  mind  of 
one  of  my  readers  the  idea,  "Christ;"  but  to  another, 
who  has  been  recently  studying  the  Moslem  faith, 
the  idea,  "crescent."  These  ideas  are  associated  by 
the  law  of  correlation,  as  we  call  it;  i.  e.,  by  discerned 
likeness  or  contrast.  The  rural  minister  who  com- 
pares the  little,  alluring  sins  of  life  to  the  attractive 
butterflies  or  moths,  and  then  shows,  by  developing 
the  life  history  of  the  insect,  what  great  and  ugly  de- 
stroyers they  may  really  become,  establishes  for  me 
a  similarity  which  I  shall  not  soon  forget.  The  com- 
parison might  well  go  on  to  show  the  best  time  for 
exterminating  the  insects  and  the  sins,  the  results  of 
carelessness,  and  the  reward  of  watchfulness.  A 
mention  of  the  methods  to  be  used  in  each  case  would1 
probably  not  be  amiss.  Whenever  I  see  a  codling 

134 


APPERCEPTION  AND  ASSOCIATION 

moth,  I  think  of  the  little,  enticing  sins  that  my 
pastor  has  made  him  to  represent.  When  I  spray 
my  apple-trees  with  arsenate-of-lead  solution  and 
thus  lay  the  basis  at  exactly  the  right  time  for  the 
destruction  of  this  pest,  I  remember  how  my  spiritual 
father  has  impressed  me  with  the  necessity  of  taking 
precaution  at  the  right  time  against  the  pests  of  life. 

Another  law  of  association  is  that  of  emotional 
preference.  Ideas  of  things  are  associated  in  our  minds 
because  they  agree  with  our  natural  preferences;  they 
either  please  or  displease,  attract  or  repel  us.  If  I 
am  especially  interested  in  dairy  cattle,  and  the 
preacher  speaks  of  the  best  balanced  ration  for  dairy 
cows  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  illustration  of  how 
each  Christian  meeds  a  balanced  supply  of  religious 
teaching,  in  order  to  become  most  efficient  as  a  Chris- 
tian citizen,  he  receives  my  very  closest  attention 
and  holds  it.  In  the  future,  when  I  consider  balanced 
rations  for  my  cows,  and  whenever  the  idea  is  men- 
tioned, by  emotional  preference,  I  will  also  think  of 
the  minister's  idea  of  a  balanced  religious  manna, 
and  whether  I  am  giving  due  consideration  to  my 
spiritual  feeling. 

The  Principle  of  Association  in  Operation. — If  two 
or  more  ideas  are  presented  to  us  and  so  associated 
as  to  arouse  our  emotional  preference,  or,  by  point- 
ing out  likenesses  or  contrasts,  we  are  apt  to  associate 
aU  the 'ideas  the  next  time  we  think  of  any  one  of 
them.  This  process  of  associating  the  same  ideas 
may  occur  so  frequently  as  to  become  a  mental 
habit.  The  good  minister  compares  temptation  with 

135 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 


storms,  and  a  human  being  with  an  oak  tree.  From 
a  seedling  to  its  majestic  matured  life,  the  storms 
have  beaten  against  that  tree;  but  with  the  passing 
of  each  storm  the  oak  sent  its  roots  deeper  and  deeper 
into  the  earth,  securing  a  surer  anchorage  as  time 
passed  on.  The  tree  never  once  yielded,  and  to-day 
he  stands  the  monarch  of  the  forest,  majestic  in  his 
strength  and  purity.  A  failure  to  anchor  securely 
upon  a  sure  foundation  year  by  year,  day  by  day, 
would  have  brought  destruction  and  death  to  the 
tree  during  some  terrific  storm.  But  there  he  stands 
ready  to  overcome  any  storm  likely  to  sweep  his 
native  forest.  The  next  day  the  good  man's  parish- 
ioners go  to  their  usual 
toil  in  the  fields.  There 
stands  an  oak.  How 
majestic!  No  storm 
can  lower  him;  he  has 
taken  sure  anchorage. 
Ah,  here  stand  I  in  the 
midst  of  the  tempests 
of  sin!  Am  I  surely 
and  securely  anchored 
like  yon  oak?  The  as- 
sociation rings  true — 
the  message  has  been 
reawakened  by  the 
sight  of  the  oak.  Every 
time  I  behold  an  oak 
tree,  the  spiritual  idea  returns:  the  two  are  insep- 
arably linked  together,  because  of  the  association  of 

136 


"AM   I   SURELY  AND   SECURELY 
ANCHORED  LIKE  YON  OAK?" 


APPERCEPTION  AND  ASSOCIATION 

ideas.  They  have  re-occurred  in  my  mind  so  often 
that  the  association  of  oak  tree  and  constancy  in 
Christian  living  has  become  a  habit  of  thought.  The 
sermon  is  re-preached  each  time  an  oak  tree,  standing 
or  lowly  laid,  comes  to  sight  or  consciousness.  The 
good  minister  taught  me  in  terms  of  my  experience, 
my  apperceptive  basis  was  such  as  to  enable  me  to 
get  the  full  force  of  the  truth  he  taught  and  associate 
it  in  my  mind  with  an  idea  perfectly  familiar  to  me. 
The  association  has  become  fixed  in  my  life  as  a 
habit  of  thought,  and  its  power  affords  one  of  the 
chief  anchors  projected  into  the  world  of  the  In- 
finite. 

The  rural  minister  has  a  wonderful  opportunity 
of  co-operating  with  Nature  to  inculcate  moral  and 
Christian  teaching.  Every  object  in  nature,  and 
especially  on  the  farm,  should  reflect  or  suggest  the 
Creator  or  one  or  more  of  His  attributes  to  the 
countryman.  By  linking  agricultural  facts  and  rural 
objects  inseparably  with  religious  truths,  the  preacher 
of  the  country  Church  may  accomplish  this  thing. 
Every  object  in  the  farmer's  environment  will  .thus 
come  to  have  a  religious  significance.  Every  member 
of  the  rural  Church  will  come  to  see  that 

"Earth  is  crammed  with  Heaven. 
And  every  bush  afire  with  God." 
for 

"The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fullness  thereof." 

"And  this  our  life,  exempt  from  public  haunt, 
Finds  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  running  brooks 
Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  everything." 

137 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

With  these  constant  and  powerful  admonitions  to 
righteous  living,  the  farmer,  among  all  men,  should 
be  the  most  religious. 


LOST 


A  SUGGESTIVE  SERMON  OUTLINE 

.  Subject:     Resistance  to  Temptation. 

Temptation  to  sin  comes  from  two  sources — our- 
selves and  our  fellows. 

The  two  sources  of  temptation  to  sin  may  be  com- 
pared with  the  two  sources  of  plant  destruction,  viz., 
insect  pests  and  plant  diseases.  Plant  diseases  are 
the  temptations  that  arise  from  within;  insect  pests, 
the  temptations  coming  from  without. 

To  protect  fruit  trees,  there  must  be  constant  and 
thorough  spraying.  Watchfulness  and  persistence  are 
needed  on  the  part  of  the'  farmer.  So  with  tempta- 

138 


APPERCEPTION  AND  ASSOCIATION 

tion  to  sin;  the  soul  must  ever  be  persistently  watch- 
ful. No  one  knows  when  the  germs,  the  insects,  or 
the  temptations  may  come.  It  behooves  us  to  be 
ever  ready. 

There  must  be  no  playing  with  sin.  It  will  not  do 
to  put  off  spraying;  that  must  be  done  in  its  season. 
So  with  our  fortification  against  sin. 

There  is  a  remedy  for  each  plant  disease  or  foe; 
likewise,  a  grace  that  makes  us  immune  to  every 
temptation. 

By  spraying,  the  farmer  secures  an  abundance  of 
superior  fruit;  one  who  keeps  free  from  sin  will  also 
bear  more  and  better  fruit.  Late  spraying  may  save 
the  tree,  but  lose  the  fruit;  so  with  fortification 
against  sin — it  may  come  too  late,  and  while  the  person 
may  be  saved,  the  good  works  that  he  might  have 
done  will  be  lost. 

The  whole  tree  must  be  sprayed;  the  whole  life 
must  be  consecrated.  One  place  unguarded  leaves  a 
vulnerable  point. 

But  there  is  a  difference  in  the  analogy.  In  Chris- 
tianity there  is  one  remedy  for  all  the  diseases  of 
sin ;  in  agriculture  there  is  no  such  universal  remedy 
for  plant  disease  and  insect  pests.  Each  disease  or 
pest  has,  as  a  rule,  its  specific  remedy. 

This  emphasizes  the  simplicity  of  Christianity- 
one  remedy  for  all  sin — Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God. 


139 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Agricultural  College  and  the 
Country  Church 

BY  WILLIAM  OXLEY  THOMPSON,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 

President  of  Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio. 
1.    Primitive  Condition 

THE  person  whose  memory  goes  back  to  the 
middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  will  recall  a  vivid 
picture  of  community  life  quite  in 
contrast  with  anything  he  is  now 
able  to  see.  The  residents  of  the 
rural  communities  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania and  Eastern  Ohio  at  that 
period  were  either  the  original  set- 
tlers, or  their  children  who  had 
cleared  up  the  farms  and  laid  the 
foundations  for  whatever  commu- 
nity life  existed.  Many  of  these 

PRES'T  THOMPSON  ,          ...  jr      i_ 

people,  like  my  grandfather,  had 
built  their  houses  from  the  trees  felled  on  their  own 
farms.  The  building  of  a  log  house  or  a  barn  was,  in 
great  measure,  a  community  enterprise  in  which  the 
neighbors  joined,  led  by  a  few  skilled  workmen  who 
directed  the  activities.  The  extinct  long  shingle,  or 

140 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

clapboard,  and  a  little  later  the  shorter  shingle,  were 
split  and  shaved  out  of  the  choicest  oak  trees  found 
on  the  farm.  This  was  an  activity  practically  every 
farmer  engaged  in  for  himself.  If  he  was  not  able  to 
make  his  own  shingles,  he  could,  by  exchange  of 
service,  secure  them  without  much  cash  outlay. 

The  first  and  second  generation  of  these  people 
were  compelled  to  co-operate  in  order  to  build  their 
homes,  their  schools,  their  churches,  and  oftentimes 
to  harvest  their  crops.  We  should  not  lose  sight  of 
the  fact  that  these  men  were  farmers  before  the  days 
of  rapid  transit  or  of  modern  machinery.  The  writer 
has  helped  to  tramp  wheat  on  the  barn  floor  and  to 
clean  it  with  the  wind-mill  before  the  days  of  the 
"bunty"  machine,  which  was  nothing  more  than  a 
cylinder  set  with  spikes  to  separate  the  wheat  from 
the  straw,  as  a  substitute  for  tramping  it  out  with 
horses.  The  community  flour  mill,  operated  by  water 
power,  was  one  of  the  primitive  industries  serving  the 
needs  of  the  people  without  competition  and  without 
any  such  an  organization  as  may  be  found  at  present 
in  great  railway  centers.  The  topography  of  the 
country  lent  itself  readily  to  what  may  be  termed 
community  groups.  Villages  grew  up  as  trading 
centers  in  these  communities,  and  sometimes  became 
the  religious,  commercial,  and  educational  centers  for 
considerable  areas.  These  early  communities  were  of 
necessity  local  in  much  of  their  life.  The  elementary' 
school  is  always  a  local  institution,  and  being  at  that 
time  almost  the  only  school,  every  community  had 
its  own  local  educational  activities.  In  a  large  num- 

141 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

her  of  these  communities  the  settlements  were  made 
by  people  of  similar  antecedents — the  Scotch-Irish, 
the  Dutch,  the  Irish,  the  Germans — and  hence 
readily  lent  themselves  to  the  development  of  the 
local  Church.  Eastern  Ohio  had  its  Quaker  centers 
and  Presbyterian  centers,  and  Pennsylvania  just  as 
distinctly  had  its  Quaker  communities,  its  Lutheran 
communities,  its  United  Presbyterian  centers,  and  a 
variety  of  others.  In  those  days  the  means  of  trans 
portation,  for  a  large  portion  of  the  State,  were  con- 
fined to  such  roads  as  primitive  communities  could 
afford  or  provide,  and  therefore  people  were  disposed 
to  cluster  about  the  same  institutions.  The  singing- 
school  and  the  party  were  community  affairs.  A 
wedding  frequently  brought  a  social  event  at  the 
home  of  the  bride,  and  the  "infair"  brought  another 
at  the  home  of  the  groom.  There  were*  no  distinct 
lines  of  social  cleavage,  for  the  evident  reason  that 
the  industries  of  the  community  included  people  of 
similar  religious  and  social  antecedents.  In  many  of 
these  segregated  communities  the  religious  and  social 
life  clustered  about  the  Church  more  than  about  any 
ether  activity. 

2.    Agencies  of  Transformation 

The  conditions  characteristic  of  a  community  in 
the  early  stages  of  these  settlements  and  development 
could  not  long  continue.  The  increase  of  wealth,  the 
development  of  political  life,  the  improvement  of 
transportation,  and  the  advent  of  the  steam  railroad 
steadily  transformed  the  industrial  activities  and 

142 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

made  the  growth  of  centers  of  population  inevitable. 
More  than  any  other  factor,  it  is  probable  that  the 
improved  means  of  transportation  has  brought  the 
country  to  town  and  made  the  town  the  center  of  re- 
ligious and  educational  life.  Here  it  was  that  the 
stronger  Churches  were  soon  developed,  and  that 
schools  reached  their  better  organization.  The  dis- 
trict school,  at  first  an  institution  of  one  or  two  rooms, 
steadily  developed  into  a  graded  school  crowned  with 
the  beginnings  of  the  modern  high-school.  The  old 
country  academy,  often  attached  to  a  Church  and 
managed  by  the  local  pastor  as  its  chief  officer,  served 
two  generations  of  the  people  as  the  outlet  of  their 
desire  for  more  extended  education.  In  some  places 
the  organization  of  a  college  by  a  Church  furnished 
both  the  academic  and  the  college  training,  and  be- 
came an  institution  to  which  other  academies  sent 
their  selected  students. 

The  country  grist-mill  steadily  gave  way  to  the 
village  flouring  mill.  In  modern  days  this  has  given 
way  to  the  city  milling  company.  The  grandson  of 
the  farmer  who  hauled  his  wheat  to  the  mill  and 
brought  back  the  flour,  bran,  and  middlings,  now 
sells  his  wheat  to  the  elevator  company,  buys  his 
flour  from  the  village  or  city  dealer,  and  his  bran,  if 
he  uses  it  at  all,  in  the  general  market. 

The  advent  of  the  interurban  railway  has  served 
to  closely  connect  the  parents  in  the  country  with 
the  children  in  the  town,  and  to  centralize  the  markets 
for  ordinary  purposes  in  the  village.  It  is  a  common 
sight  now  on  Sunday  mornings  to  see  the  interurban 

143 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

railway  cars  filled  with  young  married  people,  taking 
their  children  to  spend  the  day  with  parents  and 
grandparents  in  the  country,  while  the  return  visit 
to  the  children  in  the  city  is  a  less  frequent  occurrence. 
The  village  or  city  high-school  educates  the  children 
accessible  to  these  interurban  railways,  and  thus 
brings  a  considerable  percentage  of  the  country  under 
the  direct  influences  of  the  city  ideals  and  city  prac- 
tices. A  majority  of  these  children,  through  the 
natural  law  of  association  and  education,  look  to  the 
city  as  the  place  of  future  activity,  rather  than  to  the 
country. 

Drift  Westward. — In  the  midst  of  the  life  of  this 
generation  now  under  consideration,  the  cheaper  and 
richer  lands  of  the  West  were  opened,  and  a  steady 
migration  took  place.  Parents  in  some  cases  sold 
their  farms  and  went  Westward  to  buy  cheaper  land 
and  more  of  it,  and  to  make  provision  on  a  larger 
scale  for  farming.  The  old  methods  of  agriculture 
were  steadily  superseded  by  the  newer  methods, 
brought  about  by  the  development  of  agricultural 
machinery.  The  prairie  countries  started,  after  the 
popular  fashion,  in  developing  the  district  school,  the 
country  Church,  and  a  somewhat  similar  life  as  will 
be  seen  by  reading  any  book  such  as  Eggleston's 
"Hoosier  Schoolmaster,"  which  gives  a  reasonably 
accurate  picture  of  the  primitive  life  of  the  early 
settlers  in  the  prairie  States.  These  communities 
have  undergone  much  the  same  transformation  that 
took  place  in  the  .Eastern  communities,  modified  more 
rapidly  by  the  extension  of  railways  and  the  location 

144 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

of  Western  towns  almost  entirely  along  these  lines  of 
transportation.  In  the  Eastern  States  there  still  re- 
main segregated  communities  not  reached  by  rail- 
roads, but  these  are  rapidly  showing  signs  of  decline 
and  decay. 

At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  the  return  of  the 
soldiers  found  a  new  spirit  in  the  people,  and  many  of 
them  made  that  period  the  occasion  to  migrate  to  the 
newer  parts  of  the  country.  This  took  to  the  newer 
country  the  larger  portion  of  the  younger  men  and 
women,  while  the  older  country  was  filled  with  a  new 
population.  The  better  organization  of  coal-mining, 
the  discovery  and  development  of  the  oil  industry, 
the  development  of  manufacturing  enterprises  and  the 
allied  industries  brought  a  foreign  population  into 
the  older  States  quite  different  in  character  from  the 
original  settlers.  This  industrial  revolution  produced 
a  rapid  development  in  the  population  in  many 
towns,  and  transformed  some  of  them  into  vigorous 
and  prosperous  modern  cities,  oftentimes  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  rural  community  life. 

Agricultural  Decline. — Two  things  were  clearly  ob- 
served in  the  middle  years  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
namely,  a  decline  in  Eastern  agriculture  and  the  rapid 
development  of  production  on  the  newer  prairie 
farms,  which  tended  to  lower  the  profits  and  change 
the  character  of  Eastern  farming.  We  know  that 
profitable  agriculture  in  these  older  States  is  depend- 
ent on  the  intelligent  application  of  the  teachings  of 
agricultural  science.  The  first  two  generations  of 
farmers  were  not  awake  to  the  fact  that  their  profits 
10  •  145 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

were  due  to  the  accumulated  fertility  of  the  centuries, 
and  that  they  made  it  impossible  for  the  next  gener- 
ation to  compete  with  the  more  fertile  lands  of  the 
West.  This  continually  decreasing  margin  of  profit 
produced  a  certain  discontent  on  the  farm,  for  which 
there  seemed  to  be  no  remedy.  A  badly-used,  run- 
down farm  of  decreasing  fertility  was  not  in  position 
to  encourage  the  hope  that  the  improvements  of  the 
original  settlers  could  be  replaced  in  such  a  way  as 
to  insure  the  farmer  a  comfortable  living  and  a  reason- 
able outlook  for  his  family.  A  study  of  the  statistics 
now  reveals  the  fact  that  large  areas  of  Eastern  farms 
steadily  declined  in  productive  power.  This  fact, 
once  recognized,  became  a  source  of  dissatisfaction, 
and  underlies  the  transformation  which  has  occurred 
in  many  agricultural  districts  first  settled. 

Agricultural  Colleges. — As  early  as  the  days  of 
George  Washington,  we  read  warnings  concerning  the 
decline  of  soil  fertility.  This  subject  was  repeatedly 
discussed  in  agricultural  societies  from  Massachusetts 
westward  to  Illinois.  As  a  result  of  this  agitation, 
Mr.  Justin  S.  Morrill,  a  member  of  Congress 
from  Vermont,  became  the  exponent  of  the  idea  of 
education  that  should  develop  institutions  devoted  to 
the  teachings  of  the  sciences  related  to  agriculture  and 
the  mechanic  arts.  His  bill  was  passed  in  1857,  but 
vetoed  and  subsequently  passed,  and  became  a  law 
by  the  signature  of  President  Lincoln  in  1862.  The 
impetus  to  this  movement  was  found  among  the  farm- 
ers of  the  country,  who  had  become  aroused  to  the 
necessity  of  a  better  agriculture.  Men  in  the  cities 

146 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

and  men  engaged  in  manufacturing  enterprises  were 
quick  to  see  that  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the 
country  could  not  abide  unless  the  progress  of  agri- 
culture kept  pace  with  the  needs  of  the  country. 
For  twenty-five  years  these  colleges,  as  established 
by  Federal  aid,  addressed  themselves  to  the  teaching 
of  a  science  yet  in  its  infancy.  These  years  developed 
the  fact  that  no  permanent  improvement  could  be 
made  in  the  teaching  of  a  science  which  was  not  based 
upon  carefully-verified  experiment.  As  a  result  of 
this  conviction,  Mr.  William  Henry  Hatch,  member 
of  Congress  from  Missouri,  succeeded  in  securing  .the 
passage  of  the  Hatch  Act,  granting  Federal  aid  to  the 
establishment  of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations. 
For  twenty-five  years  these  stations,  by  carefully- 
selected  experiment,  have  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
science  upon  which  modern  agriculture  is  being  built. 
The  agricultural  college  is  teaching  what  the  ex- 
periment station  has  demonstrated.  These  institu- 
tions have  covered  the  entire  field  of  agriculture, 
from  the  basis  of  soil  fertility  and  soil  conservation  to 
the  production  of  the  best  types  of  live  stock  and  the 
scientific  management  of  farms.  It  was  both  natural 
and  proper  that  the  agricultural  college  should  first 
devote  its  energy  to  the  fundamental  and  economic 
questions  related  to  agricultural  production. '  Believ- 
ing the  soil  to  be  the  nation's  endowment,  the  first 
problem  was  to  preserve  this  endowment  in  its  per- 
manent productive  power.  Around  this  important 
fundamental  issue  has  clustered  all  the  interest  and 
activities  of  agricultural  institutions. 

147 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Like  every  other  institution,  the  agricultural  col- 
lege has  had  its  days  of  primitive  simplicity.  It  had 
to  enter  a  new  and  untried  field  of  education.  There 
were  no  precedents  established  and  no  landmarks  by 
which  it  could  be  guided.  It  was  confronted  not 
only  with  the  necessity  of  developing  the  science  of 
agriculture,  but  it  had  to  develop  competent  teachers 
of  the  subject,  who  were  sympathetic  with,  and  en- 
thusiastic in,  the  farmers'  problems.  It  met  with  the 
inertia  of  unbelief  and  indifference.  Farmers  them- 
selves in  many  instances  did  not  believe  in  "book 
farming,"  nor  did  they  believe  that  there  was  a  science 
of  agriculture  which  could  be  taught.  Nature  was 
originally  so  bountiful  as  to  make  men  careless.  The 
popular  belief  oftentimes  amounted  to  a  prejudice 
against  the  newer  agricultural  methods.  The  agri- 
cultural college  was  confronted  with  the  necessity  of 
demonstrating  its  own  efficiency  to  an  unwilling  and 
often  unheeding  constituency.  It  was  soon  discovered, 
however,  that  agriculture,  like  civilization,  develops 
its  own  diseases.  An  impoverished  soil  was  a  more 
fruitful  source  of  plant  disease  than  a  rich  soil;  at 
any  rate,  diseases  were  more  destructive.  Plant 
pathology  and  the  study  of  plant  diseases  and  their 
prevention  and  cure  was  practically  unknown  to  the 
generation  before  the  Civil  War.  The  agricultural 
college,  therefore,  has  found  itself  compelled  to  face 
the  problems  of  preserving  and  developing  plant  life, 
as  well  as  preserving  the  productive  power  of  the  soil. 
In  the  realm  of  animal  industry  the  same  general 
statements  are  true.  The  college,  therefore,  has  come 

148 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

to  be  regarded  as  an  institution  related  to  the  funda- 
mental, scientific,  and  economic  problems  of  rural  life. 
New  Conception  of  the  Agricultural  College. — Out 
of  these  early  experiences  of  the  agricultural  college 
there  has  come  further  development  of  its  mission  in 
attacking  the  social  problems  of  rural  life.  A  profit- 
able industry  always  develops  wealth  and  leisure. for 
the  people.  It  opens  the  way  to  a  larger  participa- 
tion in  social  and  religious  life.  This  new  life  develops 
its  problems,  and  just  here  the  agricultural  college 
has  found  it  important  to  introduce  the  study  of 
rural  economics  and  rural  sociology.  Political  econ- 
omy in  earlier  history  was  regarded  as  the  dismal 
science,  because  it  was  presumed  to  deal  almost  ex- 
clusively with  the  questions  of  values  and  of  wealth. 
Later  development  of  political  economy  has  shown  it 
to  be  a  social  science  as  truly  as  the  science  of  wealth 
production.  In  much  the  same  way  the  field  of  rural 
economics  has  expanded  into  the  larger  fields  of  rural 
welfare.  The  student  in  the  college  of  agriculture  is 
not  now  regarded  as  completely  educated  unless  he 
has  an  intelligent  grasp  of  the  problems  of  social  life 
in  the  open  country.  He  must  have  a  fundamental 
training  in  political  economy  from  the  older  and 
narrower  point  of  view,  supplemented  by  the  broader 
view  of  society.  These  men,  as  they  return  to  the 
farm  or  engage  in  agricultural  activities  of  any  sort, 
become  the  leaders  in  the  agricultural  idealism  which 
sets  the  standard  for  farm  life.  It  is  inevitable  in 
this  study  of  social  problems  that  the  question  of 
recreation,  amusement,  and  religion,  and  all  other 

149 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

community  activities  must  have  some  adequate  con- 
sideration. 

The  Church  as  an  institution  has  not  been  pre- 
pared to  make  a  study  of  this  phase  of  rural  life,  nor 
has  it  felt  the  necessity  of  doing  so.  Leaders  in  the 
Church,  including  the  ministers,  have  regarded  the 
Church  as  being  exclusively  a  religious  agency,  and 
have  not  felt  the  necessity  of  relating  the  industrial 
and  social  activity  with  the  Church.  Without  offense, 
it  may  be  said  that  Jesus,  living  among  an  agricultural 
people,  brought  the  most  of  His  classic  illustrations 
from  the  field  and  the  industries  of  the  people.  One 
can  not  avoid  the  feeling  that  there  was  the  closest 
intelligence  and  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  Master 
with  the  people  whom  He  served.  Following  in  His 
leadership,  it  is  of  vital  importance  now  that  all  the 
institutions  of  modern  society,  including  our  teachers 
in  the  school  and  our  teachers  in  the  Church,  should 
be  able  to  use  and  apply  the  principles  of  religion  to 
vitalize  the  motives  of  industry,  and  the  experiences 
of  our  industries  to  illustrate  the  essential  principles 
of  our  religion.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  the  develop- 
ment of  our  population  the  city  has  steadily  gained 
ascendency,  and  its  ideas  have  obtained  too  much 
hold  upon  the  rural  population,  thus  tending  to  lower 
the  appreciation  of  the  dignity  of  country  life. 

3.    The  Educated  Ministry 

The  ministers  most  naturally  represent  the  leader- 
ship of  the  Church.  They  are  the  men  best  educated 
for  leadership,  and  to  them  we  look  most  naturally 

150 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

for  the  ideals  as  to  what  the  Church  should  be.  The 
education  of  these  ministers  in  modern  days  is  largely 
assigned  to  the  theological  seminary.  These  schools, 
following  the  established  custom,  have  sought  to 
make  men  efficient  in  a  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures, 
the  problems  of  theology,  the  history  of  the  Church, 
and  in  the  preparation  of  the  gospel. message.  They 
have  assumed,  with  propriety,  that  the  underlying 
education  of  the  college  should  give  a  man  the  neces- 
sary foundation  in  liberal  training,  including  eco- 
nomics and  philosophy.  Great  problems  of  the 
Church  in  evangelization  have  not  been  overlooked. 
It  may  be  said,  however,  without  harshness,  that 
neither  the  college  nor  the  theological  seminary  has 
adequately  comprehended  the  social  conditions  of 
modern  society  which  have  made  the  problems  of  the 
local  Church  more  difficult. 

The  college  was  the  first  to  discover  the  difficult 
social  problems  arising  in  the  city  out  of  the  develop- 
ment of  modern  industries,  and  the  consequent  sepa- 
ration between  the  employer  and  the  employee.  It 
soon  became  evident  that  the  social  cleavages  in  the 
city  were  making  difficult  the  problems  of  the  city 
Church.  The  theological  seminaries  have  awakened 
also  to  this  fact,  and,  under  the  general  theme  of  city 
evangelization  and  the  city  Church,  have  endeavored 
to  train  the  young  men  preparing  for  the  ministry  in 
a  practical  application  of  their  education  to  the  solu- 
tion of  the  social  and  religious  problems  of  the  city. 
The  theological  schools  are  to  be  commended  in  this 
regard  with  enthusiasm. 

151 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

It  was  but  natural  that  the  problems  of  rural 
population  should  be  the  last  to  receive  attention. 
The  tradition  of  the  ideal  life  associated  with  the 
farm  persisted  in  the  minds  of  many  men  and  women 
who  had  moved  from  the  country  to  the  city.  In 
fact,  the  country  was  not  awake  to  the  stratification 
that  was  going  on  in  country  life.  When  we  dis- 
covered that  in  the  States  having  the  most  profitable 
agriculture  there  was  a  strong  tendency  toward  ab- 
sentee ownership  and  a  development  toward  an  itin- 
erant renting  class,  the  seriousness  of  the  situation 
dawned.  In  many  States  practically  fifty  per  cent  of 
the  farms  are  now  owned  by  city  residents,  and  are 
operated  by  renters  with  but  frequently  one  year 
of  tenure.  This  has  introduced  into  every  rural 
community  an  unstable  class  of  citizens,  who  can  not 
be  relied  upon  to  build  schools,  churches,  or  com- 
munity life.  Moreover,  the  easier  methods  of  trans- 
portation make  it  possible  now  for  a  considerable 
percentage  of  the  rural  population  to  identify  itself 
with  the  religious  and  social  life  in  the  town  or  city. 
When  we  also  remember  that  in  States  like  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Iowa  the  rural  population  has 
actually  decreased  for  two  decades,  and  that  the  city 
population  has  more  rapidly  increased  than  ever  be- 
fore, we  are  prepared  to  see  why  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  rural  Churches  have  been  abandoned  and  an- 
other percentage  is  struggling  for  existence.  Happily, 
some  of  them  kare  prosperous  and  growing  in  power. 
The  problem,  therefore,  is  so  to  adjust  the  Church  to 
the  new  conditions  in  rural  life  as  to  enable  it  to  ad- 

152 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

minister  adequately  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  all  the 
people.  This  has  brought  to  the  front  the  distinct 
need  on  the  part  of  the  ministry  of  a  study  of  the 
rural  religious  and  social  problems.  A  few  theological 
seminaries  in  the  country,  recognizing  this  need,  have 
provided  conferences  on  rural  life  (summer  schools 
for  rural  ministers),  and  have  introduced  into  the 
course  of  instruction  some  study  in  rural  sociology. 
It  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  the  colleges  of  the 
country  will  ever  be  able  to  meet  this  situation. 
Many  young  men  complete  their  college  course  before 
determining  to  enter  the  ministry.  Their  previous 
study,  therefore,  may  not  have  been  the  best  suited 
as  a  foundation  for  theological  study.  The  theolog- 
ical seminary  is,  therefore,  confronted  with  the  prob- 
lem of  equipping  her  students  for  efficient  service  in 
the  Church.  It  is  rather  easy  for  the  seminary  to 
have  the  city  point  of  view.  What  Dean  Bailey  has 
described  as  a  city-minded  man  is  more  frequently 
found  in  the  college  graduates  than  the  country- 
minded  man.  Service  in  the  rural  Church,  to  be 
most  effective,  should  be  rendered  by  the  country- 
minded  man.  It  is  here  that  the  agricultural  college, 
with  its  knowledge  of  rural  conditions,  rural  life,  and 
the  rural  mind,  might  be  able  to  make  an  important 
contribution  to  the  preparation  of  the  country  min- 
ister. Is  it  too  much  to  suggest  that  a  close  co-oper- 
ation between  the  agricultural  colleges  and  the  theo- 
logical seminaries  might  render  a  distinct  service  in 
this  particular?  There  are  men  in  our  agricultural 
colleges  quite  as  enthusiastic  about  the  Christian  and 

153 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

social  problems  of  the  country  as  they  are  about  any 
economic  problems  of  the  farm.  These  men  could 
profitably  co-operate  with  the  theological  seminaries 
in  the  training  of  the  ministry.  Already,  as  intimated 
above,  a  start  has  been  made.  There  are  two  ways 
by  which  it  might  be  continued.  First,  nearly  all  the 
colleges  of  agriculture  are  giving  short  courses  during 
the  winter  season,  to  which  they  invite  matured 
farmers.  These  courses  are  intended  to  be  more  or 
less  popular  in  the  presentation  of  the  practical  prob- 
lems concerning  the  farmer.  A  study  of  these  prob- 
lems would  be  helpful  to  the  pastor  in  a  rural  com- 
munity. Ministers  who  have  attended  them  have 
attested  the  value  of  the  instruction,  as  giving  them 
a  better  understanding  of  the  farmer's  point  of  view. 
There  is  no  good  reason  why  these  short  courses 
should  not  introduce  at  least  an  elementary  study  of 
rural  sociology.  This  would  bring  the  farmer  and 
his  pastor  on  a  common  ground,  and  enable  them  to 
see  the  problems  of  their  community  in  a  new  light. 
The  second  method  might  be  to  introduce  an  oppor- 
tunity in  the  theological  seminaries  for  competent 
men  in  the  colleges  of  agriculture  to  give  courses  of 
lectures  or  instructions  to  theological  students  that 
would  present  the  farmer's  problems  in  such  a  way 
as  to  enable  the  minister  of  the  gospel  to  enter  upon 
his  work  better  equipped  than  he  now  does.  This 
method  of  co-operation  has  been  fully  attested  in 
other  fields.  Every  technical  school  in  the  country 
now  seeks  to  familiarize  the  students  before  gradua- 
tion with  the  practical  workings  of  engineering  and 

154 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

industrial  enterprises.  Colleges  of  agriculture  put 
special  emphasis  upon  the  importance  of  their  students 
making  a  study  of  the  most  successful  farms  and  farm 
operations  within  a  reasonable  distance  from  the 
college.  This  is  simply  the  laboratory  method  ap- 
plied to  technical  education.  Its  purpose  is  mani- 
festly to  supplement  the  theoretical  knowledge  of  the 
class-room  with  a  practical  acquaintance  of  every- 
day affairs.  The  minister  of  the  gospel,  above  all 
other  men,  must  deal  with  the  practical  affairs  of 
the  people  in  their  every-day  life.  His  success  in  or- 
ganizing the  religious  forces  of  the  rural  communities 
will  be  measured  largely  by  his  ability  to  understand 
the  conditions  as  they  are.  The  agricultural  college 
and  the  theological  seminary  are  the  two  places  where 
his  theoretical  acquaintance  must  be  obtained.  So 
earnest  are  the  agricultural  college  people  of  the 
country  in  this  question  of  rural  betterment  that  they 
are  prepared  to  go  almost  any  distance  to  meet  any 
agency  in  a  co-operative  service. 

4.    Immediate  Service  of  the  College  to  the  Church 

The  long-standing  argument  for  the  denomina- 
tional college  has  been  that  the  college  can  render  a 
distinct  service  to  the  Church.  When  one  considers 
the  annual  output  of  the  American  colleges  and  stops 
to  think  that  this  multitude  is  almost  immediately 
sent  into  our  centers  of  population,  and  then  realizes 
that  the  Church  is  inadequately  organized  to  meet 
and  greet  these  "young  people,  he  may  well  raise  the 
question  as  to  a  closer  connection  between  the  college 

155 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

and  the  Church.  Into  our  cities  every  year  an  in- 
creasing number  of  young  men  and  young  women, 
holding  college  degrees,  go  for  the  purpose  of  pursu- 
ing their  careers  and  making  a  place  for  themselves 
in  the  world.  These  are  young  people  of  some  ideals, 
some  ambition,  and  of  some  power.  They  ought  to 
be  utilized,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  Church 
has  ever  been  able  to  lay  hold  of  this  opportunity. 
Most  of  these  young  men  and  young  women  are  poor 
in  purse,  many  of  them  in  debt,  and  all  of  them 
struggling  for  recognition  and  place  in  their  profes- 
sions or  callings.  They  are  not  in  position  to  bring 
any  financial  strength  to  the  Church  for  some  years, 
but  they  ought  to  be  affiliated  with  the  Church  and 
brought  into  co-operation  with  the  best  men  and 
women  of  the  city  in  the  work  of  good  citizenship. 
The  college  can  never  do  its  complete  work,  nor /an 
the  Church  until  the  two  clasp  hands  in  an  intelli- 
gent effort  to  make  the  college-bred  man  or  woman 
an  effective  force  in  our  city  life.  In  a  parallel  way, 
the  man  holding  a  degree  from  the  college  of  argi- 
culture  or  a  man  having  pursued  agricultural  studies 
for  a  single  year  or  more  should,  upon  his  return  to 
agricultural  life,  be  utilized  as  a  factor  in  the  uplift 
and  betterment  of  rural  life.  Every  such  young  man 
should  return  to  his  community  with  a  keen  apprecia- 
tion of  the  fact  that  the  rural  Church  is  a  means  of  a 
great  social  uplift  and  the  guardian  of  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community.  It  is  not  necessary  for  the 
college  of  agriculture  to  commit  itself  to  an  objec- 
tionable form  of  teaching  religion  in  order  to  en- 

156 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

courage  its  students  to  devote  themselves  to  the  rural 
Church,  or  to  instruct  them  in  the  value  of  the  Church 
to  the  local  community.  This  is  by  no  means  sec- 
tarianism. It  is  using  the  people's  institution  to  in- 
struct its  young  men  in  the  social  and  religious  value 
of  another  institution  supported  by  the  same  people. 
Notwithstanding  the  objection  that  has  persisted  in 
the  minds  of  many  against  the  State  having  anything 
to  do  with  religion,  it  may  well  be  contended  that  the 
problems  of  the  agricultural  college  have  to  do  with 
the  fitting  of  men  for  efficient  rural  living.  In  no 
spirit  of  narrowness  or  sectarianism,  therefore,  the 
college  may  urge  the  importance  of  the  rural  Church 
as  an  institution  related  to  the  happiness  of  the 
people.  The  college  will  not  do  its  whole  duty  in 
teaching  men  how  to  grow  more  corn  or  to  produce 
a  better  type  of  livestock,  but  must  address  itself  to 
the  whole  round  of  rural  problems.  In  rendering  this 
kind  of  service  the  Church  and  college  of  agriculture 
should  be  in  close  accord.  No  man  would  be  more 
welcome  among  a  group  of  students  than  the  pastor 
of  the  Church  from  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 
Up  to  date  the  Church  has  neglected  its  opportunity 
of  service  in  the  college.  The  college  has  probably 
neglected  its  opportunity  for  service  to  the  Church. 
The  new  awakening  among  the  American  people  is 
rapidly  developing  the  belief  that  a  more  generous 
attitude  toward  the  institutions  of  the  community, 
like  the  Church  and  the  school,  should  be  cultivated 
on  every  hand.  The  college  of  agriculture,  founded 
and  supported  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  and 

157 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

developing  a  strong,  virile  manhood  and  womanhood 
upon  the  farms  of  the  country,  as  much  as  for  con- 
serving our  nation's  material  resources,  will  do  no 
violence  to  American  freedom  by  urging  upon  students 
and  the  public  alike  the  importance  of  the  rural 
Church  as  one  of  the  best  agencies  for  conserving 
rural  life.  The  college  can  not  make  a  complete 
survey  of  rural  life  and  omit  a  consideration  of  the 
Church  and  its  work.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Church 
at  large,  interested  in  the  welfare  of  all  the  people, 
can  ill  afford  to  neglect  the  opportunities  afforded  in 
colleges  of  agriculture  for  maintaining  and  strength- 
ening the  spiritual  forces  of  the  rural  Church 


158 


CHAPTER  IX 

An  Adequate  Salary  for  the  Rural 

Pastor 

; 

BY  REV.  N.  W.  STROUP. 

The  Problem  Stated 

To  frankly  state  that  two  of  the  most  important 
elements  that  have  to  do  with  the  human  side  of  the 
advance  of  Christ's  coming  Kingdom  are  money  and 
men,  does  not  depreciate  the  pre-eminence  of  the 
spiritual.  We  need  not  worry  about  the  divine  ele- 
ment in  Christianity  if  we  meet  the  conditions.  The 
call  of  Christ  is  for  service,  substance,  and  self.  That 
is  to  say,  the  saving  of  men  is  helped  or  hindered  by 
the  obedience  or  disobedience  of  individuals.  Do  we 
obey?  Do  we  serve?  Do  we  give? 

The  Union  army  in  the  days  of  '61  to  '65  de- 
manded both  money  and  men.  The  true  patriot  was 
of  supreme  importance,  but  his  equipment  and  main- 
tenance were  also  essential.  Consecrated  wealth  in 
aid  of  truth  has  enabled  many  nations  to  win  in  the 
contests  of  the  centuries  that  otherwise  would  have 
signally  failed.  The  officers  of  the  Lord's  army,  en- 
gaged in  the  greatest  warfare  of  the  centuries,  must 
not  be  asked  to  maintain  their  own  support.  The 

159 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

conquest  must  not  be  delayed  by  the  commissary 
department. 

A  Comparison  of  Salaries  and  Service. — It  is 
stated  on  good  authority  that  one-third  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  United  States  are  receiving  a  salary. of 
less  than  $400  a  year,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
the  average  family  can  not  be  properly  supported  on 
less  than  $750  a  year.  The  common  hodcarrier  in 
New  York  receives  $900  yearly  wage.  The  union 
plumber  receives  $1,200  for  an  eight-hour  day's 
service.  The  average  carpenter  receives  in  excess  of 
$1,000  a  year.  In  contrast  to  these  trades  that  re- 
quire little  or  no  special  training,  the  pastor  must 
spend  about  $2,000  on  his  education;  he  must  educate 
his  family,  dress  well,  buy  books  and  periodicals,  as 
every  other  up-to-date  professional  man,  pay  his 
debts  promptly,  and  be  a  self-respecting  citizen;  and 
do  all  this  on  half  the  salary  of  many  day  laborers. 
Excluding  the  large  cities,  the  highest  average  shown 
by  any  denomination  is  only  $710,  while  one  denom- 
ination pays  an  average  salary  as  low  as  $325. 

Some  one  has  wisely  said,  "The  evil  one  has  hit 
upon  the  device  of  starving  the  minister  as  a  means 
of  crippling  the  work  of  the  Christian  Church."  The 
sin  of  the  saints  is  a  subtle  selfishness  that  is  suicidal 
to  spiritual  growth  and  Christian  conquest.  There  is 
a  low  and  a  higher  sacrifice,  and  many  fail  to  dis- 
tinguish between  these  two  forms,  which  are  alike  in 
name,  but  wholly  unlike  in  quality.  The  one  is  con- 
tent to  allow  the  pastor  to  practice  self-denial  in 
financial  matters,  the  other  demands  efficiency  in 

160 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

equipment  and  "a  living  sacrifice,  acceptable  unto 
God,"  yielding  the  maximum  of  service  to  men. 

The  Work  of  a  Country  Church  Commission. — We 
would  call  attention  to  two  examples  of  injustice 
calling  for  remedy,  that  may  serve  as  an  explanation 
for  the  action  of  the  Country  Church  Commission  of 
the  Cleveland  District  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

First.  That  of  a  pastor  who  was  compelled  to  sell 
his  life  insurance  policy  to  enable  him  to  buy  a  horse 
and  carriage,  necessitated  by  a  change  of  location. 
The  brother  died  suddenly,  and  his  widow  was  de- 
prived of  the  insurance  money  to  which  she  was  right- 
fully entitled. 

Second.  A  pastor,  with  a  wife  and  family  to  sup- 
port, served  a  charge  faithfully  for  eleven  months 
last  year,  and  during  that  time  received  but  $248 
from  three  Churches.  He  was  required  to  buy  a 
horse,  carriage,  and  harness  costing  $140,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year,  and  then  wait  until  the  close  of 
the  year  for  the  balance  of  the  $600  promised. 

On  the  Western  frontier  such  treatment  might  be 
excusable,  but  on  the  Western  Reserve1  it  is  out  of 
harmony  with  the  principles  of  the  gospel  we  preach. 

On  the  principle  that  the  strong  ought  to  help  the 
weak,  the  Commission  decided  to  appoint  a  day  in 
November  that  should  be  known  as  "Forward  Move- 

1  When  Connecticut  ceded  her  Western  lands  to  Congress  in  1786,  she  ex- 
pressly reserved  a  strip  of  land  stretching  westward  from  the  eastern  boundary 
of  Ohio  immediately  south  of  Lake  Erie.  This  strip  of  territory  was  known 
as  the  "  Western  Reserve,"  and  is  still  referred  to  by  this  name  with  pride  by 
the  descendants  of  the  pioneers  who  live  in  it. 

11  161 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

merit  Day,"  and  the  members  of  each  Church  were 
requested  to  make  an  offering  of  a  sum  equal  to  their 
income  for  that  day.  The  following  Sabbath  they 
brought  their  gifts  to  the  Church,  and  offered  praise 
to  God  for  the  influence  and  power  of  the  village  and 
rural  Churches,  which  to  the  majority  had  been  their 
spiritual  birthplace.  The  plan  was  a  new  one,  and 
had  to  win  its  way  for  a  fair  hearing  in  Churches 
already  crowded  with  requests  for  special  appeals. 
But  wherever  presented  the  response  was  cheerful, 
and  the  donors  testified  to  being  blessed  in  their 
giving.  These  struggling  Churches  near  the  old  home- 
steads that  had  suffered  so  many  departures  were 
brought  back  to  memory,  and  in  that  memory  there 
was  a  message  and  a  ministry. 

The  gifts  of  the  Churches  came  in,  and  were  sup- 
plemented by  several  personal  subscriptions  from 
friends  who  had  caught  the  vision  of  the  need  and 
wanted  to  help.  The  Commission  was  glad  to  fulfill 
its  promise  to  supplement  the  salaries  that  fell  below 
the  minimum  of  $750  and  house,  and  by  paying  the 
larger  portion  of  it  during  the  first  three  months  of 
the  year,  the  pastors  have  had  a  new  spirit  of  devo- 
tion and  zeal  in  their  service.  The  time  heretofore 
wasted  in  worry  and  trying  to  meet  bills  payable  was 
invested  in  service  to  seek  and  save  the  lost. 

The  purpose  of  the  plan  is  twofold : 

First.  Better  Service  through  better  leadership,  at- 
tainable by  the  payment  of  a  living  wage. 

Second.  The  lengthening  of  the  pastorate  term, 
a  very  necessary  element  in  the  great  task  of  rural 

162 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

leadership  and  community-building.  We  have  too 
few  Charles  Kingsleys  and  John  Kebles,  who  are  con- 
tent to  spend  thirty  years  in  one  parish  and  redeem 
a  community.  One  pastor,  who  may  serve  as  proof 
of  the  above,  was  continued  for  an  additional  year, 
so  that  he  might  have  time  to  reap  the  harvest  of  his 
sowing.  This  man  experienced  one  of  the  greatest 
revivals  known  in  that  charge  for  a  generation.  The 
gift  of  $150  in  this  instance  was  instrumental  in  help- 
ing to  make  possible  one  hundred  conversions.  Thus 
we  see  that  money  has  a  very  vital  relationship  to 
the  Kingdom. 

The  Right  to  Expect  a  Living  Wage 

That  a  young  man  should  demand,  and  has  a  right 
to  expect,  a  living  wage  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  is 
no  reflection  upon  his  consecration  or  call  to  Christian 
service.  We  are  not  speaking  of  frontier  work  or  the 
foreign  field,  but  of  well-to-do  communities,  where  the 
people  live  in  good  homes  and  have  enough  and  to 
spare  of  this  world's  goods,  and  who  would  not  be 
impoverished  by  the  giving  of  a  tenth  of  their  income 
to  Christ  and  His  Church.  It  is  no  longer  demanded 
of  a  minister  to  live  a  life  of  deprivation  and  extreme 
self-denial,  in  so  far  as  the  comfortable  support  of  him- 
self and  family  are  concerned.  He  ought  to  sacrifice 
and  he  must  do  strenuous  service,  but  for  the  members 
of  the  Church  to  be  content  to  let  their  spiritual  leader 
want  for  the  bare  necessities  of  life,  while  they  live 
in  comfort,  is  inconsistent  with  the  teaching  of  the 
gospel  we  profess  to  practice. 

163 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

A  splendid  young  man  employed  by  a  business 
firm  at  a  salary  of  $1,200  a  year,  and  that  paid 
monthly,  felt  called  to  the  work  of  the  Christian  min- 
istry, and  would  not  be  disobedient  to  the  call,  but 
he  had  a  family  to  support  and  educate.  The  Church 
says  we  can  pay  you  only  $600,  and  three-fourths  of 
that  will  probably  not  be  collected  until  the  end  of 
the  year.  They  are  able  to  pay  more,  and  they  could, 
by  some  effort,  pay  it  regularly,  but  experience  proves 
that  they  do  not.  The  preacher,  in  this  case,  is  called 
upon  to  make  more  than  his  full  share  of  the  sacri- 
fice, when  he  has  a  reasonable  right  to  expect  that 
his  Christian  brethren  share  in  this  self-denial.  The 
members  of  our  Churches,  as  well  as  those  outside 
the  Church,  must  come  to  realize  that  God  holds 
them  responsible  for  their  share  of  service  and  sacri- 
fice no  less  than  He  does  His  other  disciples  who  have 
heard  the  call  to  be  leaders  and  generals  in  this  battle 
against  sin. 

What  Constitutes  a.  Living  Wage? 

What  is  a  living  wage  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
in  this  twentieth  century?  Some  one  has  stated  that 
the  "ideal  standard  of  living  demands  the  satisfac- 
tion of  reasonable  wants  of  both  body  and  intellect, 
and  includes  an  ambition  to  improve."  Professor 
Albion  W.  Small,  in  a  volume  on  "  Charities  and  the 
Commons,"  asserts  that  the  average  family  needs  a 
thousand  dollars.  The  New  York  Commission,  after 
a  scientific  study  of  thousands  of  families,  sets  the 
minimum  at  the  point  where  the  average  family 

164 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

ceased  to  run  into  debt  at  $825.  Carroll  D.  Wright 
in  1901  investigated  the  cost  of  living  for  25,440  fam- 
ilies living  in  thirty-three  different  States.  The  re- 
sult of  this  study,  confined  to  wage-earners,  showed 
4.38  as  the  average  membership  of  each  family,  and 
the  mean  income  of  all  was  $749.50.  In  1908  statistics 
give  the  average  income  of  the  anthracite  miners  in 
Pennsylvania  as  $693.34,  and  though  these  foreigners 
can  live  on  less  than  one-half  the  amount  required 
by  the  average  American  family,  even  they  are  not 
as  well  cared  for  as  they  deserve. 

Engel's  table  of  proportionate  expenditures  is  as 
follows : 

Food 50     %  $375  00 

Clothing 18     %  135  00 

Rent  and  lodging 12     %  90  00 

Education,  religion,  etc 5     %  37  50 

Heat  and  light 5.5%  41  25 

Care  of  health 3     %  22  50 

Comfort,  recreation.  .- 3.5%  26  25 

Legal  protection 3     %  22  50 

Total 100     %         $75000 

This  list  has  no  mention  of  life  insurance,  books, 
periodicals,  benevolences,  railroad  fare,  expense  of 
keeping  a  horse,  laundry,  furniture,  and  a  score  of 
small  expenses  and  demands  that  come  to  every  min- 
ister during  the  year. 

.Another  carefully  prepared  table  of  expenditures 
for  the  average  family  of  four,  which  has  in  it  no 
provision  for  death,  protracted  illness,  or  the  edu- 

165 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

cation  of    children    beyond    the    common    school,    is 
as  follows: 

Rent. $167  00 

Car  fare 14  00 

Fuel  and  light 39  00 

Furniture 9  00 

Insurance 19  00 

Food 345  00 

Meals  away 22  00 

Clothing 112  00 

Health 18  00 

Taxes  and  dues 11  00 

Recreation 6  00 

Education 5  00 

Miscellaneous.  .  40  00 


Total..  '. $807  00 

The  following  plan,  suggested  by  F.  M.  Barton, 
editor  of  The  Expositor,  is  worthy  of  careful  consider- 
ation, and  ought  to  aid  in  the  solution  of  a  very  serious 
problem,  which  faces  all  the  denominations  repre- 
sented in  the  rural  districts: 

"The  minimum  salary  for  ministers  shall  be  $750  and  house, 
and  the  maximum  salary  $3,000.  Any  Church  may  pay  more 
than  $3,000,  provided  the  Church  gives  an  amount  equal  to  the 
excess  of  the  $3,000  to  ministerial  relief,  to  be  used  exclusively 
for  insuring  a  salary  of  $750,  and  for  the  support  of  ministers 
who  have  been  honorably  retired  on  account  of  age  or  disability. 
No  Church  shall  receive  any  portion  of  this  relief  fund  unless 
the  members  of  said  Church  are  giving  for  Church  and  minis- 
terial support  an  amount  equal  to  the  amount  of  taxes  paid  on 
real  and  personal  property  by  the  combined  membership." 

This,  as  has  been  stated,  would  be  opposed  by  officials 
and  pastors  in  large  Churches,  but  it  has  the  advan- 

166 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

tage  of  being  Christian   in  spirit  and  brotherly  in 
practice. 

Rights  of  Pastor  and  of  People 

The  country  pastor  has  some  very  just  rights  that 
should  be  respected  and  complied  with  on  the  part  of 
the  membership  of  every  Church. 

First.  That  he  shall  receive  a  living  wage  com- 
mensurate with  his  needs  and  the  efficiency  of  his 
ministry. 

Second.  That  his  salary  shall  be  paid  promptly 
and  regularly  each  month  or  week.  If  this  should  be 
impossible  in  some  few  places,  then  a  loan  could  be 
made  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  from  which  sums 
can  be  drawn  to  pay  the  salary  as  it  falls  due.  The 
interest  on  $200  for  ten  months  would  amount  to 
only  $10,  and  that  could  be  borne  by  a  hundred 
people  much  easier  than  by  one  man,  especially  when 
that  one  is  the  pastor. 

Third.  That  each  pastor  serving  a  circuit  where 
a  horse  and  carriage  are  essential,  shall  have  this  part 
of  his  equipment  furnished  by  the  Church,  just  as  it 
now  provides  the  parsonage.  Officials  give  as  an  ex- 
cuse that  some  preachers  do  not  know  how  to  care  for 
a  horse,  and  they  might  injure  it.  My  answer  to  this 
objection  may  be  briefly  stated  in  these  words: 

"Any  man  who  is  fit  to  care  for  the  souls  of  immortal  beings 
surely  ought  to  be  capable  of  being  entrusted  with  the  care  of  a 
horse  and  buggy." 

Fourth.  A  pastor  is  deserving  of  the  most  broth- 
erly consideration  and  co-operation  in  all  the  work 

167 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

he  is  commissioned  of  God  to  perform.  The  Church 
can  not  well  refuse  to  organize  a  committee  that  will 
see  to  the  business  management  of  its  finances. 

The  claims  of  the  Church  must  not  be  ignored  or 
lightly  set  aside.  It  has  a  right  to  expect  faithful, 
conscientious,  self-sacrificing  service  on  the  part  of 
him  who  is  to  be  its  minister.  His  time  and  talents 
belong  to  the  Church  that  supports  him;  not  that  it 
may  dictate  what  he  shall  preach,  but. that  he  must 
give  himself  wholly  to  this  one  task.  Should  he, 
after  preaching  on  Sundays,  spend  the  greater  part 
of  the  week  either  in  loafing  at  home  or  lecturing  for 
extra  revenue  away  from  home,  the  officials  have  a 
perfect  right  to  object,  on  the  ground  that  they  are 
not  receiving  that  for  which  they  are  asked  to  pay. 

The  Principle  of  Subsidizing  Weak  Rural  Churches 

Some  few  Churches  have  suffered  so  greatly  by 
the  removal  of  supporting  members  that  they  are 
unable  to  meet  the  salary  standard.  These  must  not 
be  given  inefficient,  untrained  leaders,  which  is  cer- 
tain to  mean  decline  and  death,  but  for  a  year  or  two 
they  should  have  outside  support  to  enable  them  to 
reinforce  their  waning  membership  roll.  In  this  con- 
nection, we  may  state  that  it  should  not  be  our  policy 
to  continuously  subsidize  any  Church  so  long  as  there 
is  a  possibility  of  stirring  the  local  field  to  the  plane 
of  honorable  self-support.  To  some  charges  we  have 
sent  either  "amateurs"  or  superannuates,  until  the 
treatment  has  endangered  the  life  of  the  patient.  The 
need  is  not  more  money,  but  more  man.  Our  rural 

168 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

Churches  are  often  the  victims  of  a  faulty  policy,  and 
we  must  begin  our  solution  higher  up. 

To  insistently  state  that  the  farmers  of  a  certain 
parish  are  abundantly  able  to  pay  a  decent  salary, 
and  that  we  will  do  nothing  for  them  unless  they  do 
their  full  duty,  is  not  the  part  of  wisdom,  and  has 
killed  more  Churches  than  it  has  helped.  The  same 
could  be  said  of  many  city  parishes  where  the  Church 
has  closed  its  doors.  We  forget  that  they  must  be 
enlisted  in  the  message  and  ministry  of  the  society 
before  they  can  be  counted  on  for  financial  support. 
While  this  is  being  done,  a  competent  leader  must  be 
guaranteed  a  living  for  himself  and  family.  The  task, 
in  some  instances,  may  only  require  six  months' 
time,  while  in  others  it  may  demand  three  years. 
But  whatever  the  time  or  expense  involved,  if  the 
Church  is  needed,  we  must  be  ready  and  willing  to 
pay  the  price.  The  need  is  often  greatest  where  the 
ability  .to  support  is  very  meager. 

Money  and  Ministry 

Money  has  a  very  vital  relationship  to  ministry 
in  this  twentieth  century.  We  are  not  condemning 
the  ideals  of  our  fathers  when  we  insist  they  do  not 
always  apply  to  the  present  age  which  we  are  di- 
vinely called  to  serve.  The  spiritual  man  can  not 
escape  being  affected  by  his  physical  condition,  and 
no  more  can  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  escape  the 
many  exacting  demands  made  upon  him  by  this 
modern  age. in  which  he  must  live  and  labor.  The 
people  require  that  their  spiritual  leader  be  a  man 

169 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

among  men,  self-respecting  and  self-supporting,  and 
able  to  properly  care  for  himself  and  family  in  so  far 
as  the  common  necessities  of  life  are  concerned. 

The  modern  pastor  must,  not  be  a  mediaeval  ascetic 
or  a  recluse.  John  Wesley  did  not  imitate  John  the 
Baptist  either  in  diet  or  dress,  and  yet  he  was  not 
unlike  him  in  spiritual  fervor  and  devotion.  There 
is  no  force  in  the  appeal  to  "use  the  old  "  flint-lock" 
when  we  have  the  modern  repeating  rifle.  Courage 
and  patriotism  are  elements  of  character  quite  apart 
from  the  form  of  army  equipment.  Voluntary  pov- 
erty is  no  longer  the  badge  of  saintliness.  Consecra- 
tion is  not  dependent  upon  self-denial  in  material 
things.  While  it  may  at  times  be  a  necessity,  it  is  not 
an  essential  to  pastoral  fidelity. 

We  demand  efficiency  in  Christian  work,  and 
whether  that  be  wrought  out  in  the  foreign  field  or 
the  home  land,  it  requires  money  as  well  as  men.  It 
is  no  credit  to  a  denomination  to  state  that  its  pastors 
subsist  on  less  than  the  standard  wage  of  the  average 
laboring  man,  who  is  quite  generally  underpaid.  If 
the  Church  is  to  move  forward  "like  a  mighty  army" 
to  the  conquest  of  this  world  for  Christ,  the  generals, 
as  well  as  the  men  in  the  ranks, .must  be  well  fed, 
comfortably  clothed,  as  well  as  carefully  disciplined. 
The  times  demand  it,  and  the  Master  will  not  excuse 
our  failure  to  measure  up  to  the  efficiency  standards 
of  twentieth-century  life. 

Pay  for  Trained  Leadership 

The  rural  pastorate  is  worth  while,  and  the  office 
should  not  be  minified,  but  rather  magnified.  The 

170 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

country  community-  has  ever  been  the  physical, 
moral,  and  spiritual  recruiting  ground  for  the  city. 
The  best  of  our  educational  and  religious  leaders  are 
none  too  good  for  the  work  in  hand,  and  the  farmer 
can  not  afford  to  be  satisfied  with  cheap  and  un- 
trained pastors  and  religious  teachers.  "The  city," 
as  Professor  L.  H.  Bailey  expresses  it,  "sits  like  a 
parasite,  running  out  its  roots  into  the  open  country 
and  draining  it  of  its  substance.  The  city  takes 
everything  to  itself — materials,  money,  men — and 
gives  back  only  what  it  does  not  want."  We  must 
not  forget  that  the  country  problem  is  a  personal  one, 
and  has  to  do  fundamentally  with  the  character  of 
the  individual,  as  well  as  with  the  question  of  in- 
creased crops  and  larger  profits.  That  means  leader- 
ship, and  able  leaders  have  a  right  to  expect  competent 
support. 

A  recent  census  of  the  prominent  men  of  New 
York  City,  according  to  Newell  Dwight  Hillis,  shows 
that  "85  per  cent  of  them  were  reared  in  the  villages 
and  rural  districts.  Seventeen  cf  twenty-three  Pres- 
idents came  from  the  farm.  A  census  of  the  colleges 
and  seminaries  in  and  about  Chicago  showed  that 
the  country  communities  are  furnishing  80  per  cent 
of  our  college  students.  The  chances  of  success  seem 
one  hundred  to  one  in  favor  of  the  country  boy." 
This  is  more  than  a  question  cf  pure  air  and  good 
health,  and  is  far  more  moral  than  physical.  The 
explanation  is  deeper  than  even  a  genius  for  hard 
work,  essential  as  that  quality  may  be.  These  facts 
emphasize  the  importance  cf  trained  leaders. 

171 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Sacrifice  has  quality  as  well  as  quantity.  The 
miser  and  the  martyr  both  sacrifice.  We  must  not 
confuse  the  different  grades  which  may  have  certain 
features  in  common,  but  yet  are  almost  wholly  unlike 
in  character.  First,  there  is  the  sacrifice  of  love — 
the  losing  of  life  for  Christ's  sake — which  results  in 
permanent  ministry  to  mankind.  Second,  there  is 
the  sacrifice  of  material  things  and  of  equipment  for 
service,  which  have  to  do  largely  with  the  outward 
life,  and  results  in  efficiency  and  impotency.  One 
has  to  do  with  courageous  conquest,  while  the  other 
has  to  do  with  our  every -day  living.  One  is  spiritual, 
the  other  physical;  one  has  to  do  with  Christ's  com- 
ing Kingdom,  the  other  concerns  the  individual  and 
his  maintenance. 

It  is  one  thing  to  be  a  true  patriot  and  quite  an- 
other thing  to  be  a  volunteer  pauper.  It  was  no 
credit  to  the  Union  that  her  soldiers  were  crippled  for 
lack  of  good  food  and  proper  clothing.  Patriotism  is 
not  dependent  on  physical  starvation;  neither  is 
spirituality  dependent  on  financial  stringency.  The 
genuineness  of  a  man's  call  to  the  ministry  is  not 
conditioned  on  small  salaries.  It  is  true  that  these 
still  find  a  place  in  the  religious  creed  of  many  good 
people,  but  they  are  irrational  and  un-Christian.  We 
denounce  the  mediaeval  asceticism  of  the  Roman 
Church,  but  our  present-day  treatment  of  many  min- 
isters is  quite  out  of  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel. 

Sacrifice  in  and  of  itself  may  have  no  special  moral 
value.  It  may  be  blind  asceticism  or  pure  selfishness. 

172 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

There  is  a  vast  amount  of  sacrifice  that  is  wholly 
commercial  and  in  the  interest  of  evil.  The  higher 
sacrifice  is  in  aid  of  righteousness  and  truth,  while 
the  lower  is  usually  the  servant  of  self  and  substance. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  find  successors  to  the  man  who, 
praying  for  his  pastor,  said,  "Lord,  you  keep  him 
humble,  and  we  '11  keep  him  poor,"  thinking  those 
two  qualities  as  vital  to  pastoral  piety.  There  are 
many  "officious"  members  who  imagine  that  it  is 
not  strictly  religious  to  pay  a  pastor  regularly  and 
liberally.  When  the  plea  is  made  for  an  advance  in 
salary,  they  express  fear  of  what  they  term  seculariz- 
ing the  ministry,  as  though  a  living  wage  would  in- 
terfere with  a  man's  spirituality.  Officials  are  often 
very  exacting  as  to  a  preacher's  poverty,  but  quite 
indifferent  to  his  inefficiency  and  lack  of  aggressive- 
ness. 

Sacrifice  will  always  serve  if  it  be  of  the  right 
sort,  and  a  proper  financial  support  will  always  en- 
hance that  service.  Why  should  we  not  have  more 
sense  and  less  sentiment  regarding  money  and  re- 
ligion? We  ought  to  be  so  anxious  for  the  success  of 
the  work  that  we  should  rejoice  in  every  possible  rein- 
forcement of  the  workers.  Money  in  the  possession 
of  a  consecrated  pastor  or  layman  is  a  power  for 
good.  The  danger  is  not  in  the  amount  of  salary 
received,  but  rather  in  the  character  of  the  individual 
receiving  it.  The  genuineness  of  a  man's  call  to  the 
ministry  can  never  be  safeguarded  by  a  limitation  of 
income.  It  must  be  determined  by  some  higher 
motive. 

173 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

The  emphasis  must  be  placed  on  strenuous  service. 
The  lazy  pastor  who  is  content  to  accept  starvation 
wages  lends  no  halo  to  the  calling,  and  is  small  value 
to  the  kingdom.  Our  low  standard  of  salary  has  a 
tendency  to  invite  a  class  of  men  who  are  devoid  of 
the  ambition  and  aggressiveness  that  would  com- 
mand success  in  other  professions.  The  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry  is  no  place  for  men  who  are  con- 
tent with  mediocre  attainment.  Moral  and  spiritual 
leadership  demands  men  of  strong  convictions  and 
commanding  courage.  Men  of  this  type  will  not 
consent  to  be  treated  as  objects  of  charity. 

The  monks  of  the  Middle  Ages,  who  took  vows  of 
celibacy  and  poverty,  are  poor  models  of  Christian 
consecration.  They  were  deficient  in  the  main  attri- 
butes of  New  Testament  Christianity,  in  that  they 
neither  served  as  salt  nor  leaven  nor  light.  They  were 
as  useless  to  the  Kingdom  as  they  were  poor,  and  as 
'deficient  in  vital  piety  as  they  were  superstitious. 
The  mistaken  policy  that  .fosters  such  a  practice  is 
more  pharisaic  than  Christian,  and  should  find  no 
favor  in  present-day  thought. 

The  call  is  for  a  "living  sacrifice,  wholly  and  ac- 
ceptable unto  God,  which  is  our  spiritual  service." 
That  means  something  far  more  vital  than  poor 
clothing  and  poor  food;  something  more  reasonable 
than  limited  libraries  and  inadequate  educational  ad- 
vantages. We  can  not  be  content  with  such  a  re- 
sponse to  the  call.  The  Church  demands  leadership 
and  loyalty,  and  the  campaign  must  have  able  gen- 
eralship, amply  reinforced  for  winning  in  the  great 

174 


AN  ADEQUATE  SALARY 

warfare  against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places. 
\Ve  must  have  men  who  can  command  the  army  and 
win  the  battle.  We  need  the  pastoral  patriotism  of 
Paul,  expressed  in  the  words,  "I  die  daily."  He  did 
not  refer  to  starvation  in  monastic  seclusion,  but  to 
that  nobler  Christian  sacrifice  of  fellowship  in  the 
sufferings  of  Christ.  "To  leave  all,"  and  "to  sell 
all,"  is  only  the  preparatory  part,  enabling  the  indi- 
vidual carrying  "excess  baggage"  to  more  success- 
fully take  up  the  cross  and  follow  the  Christ. 

"Toiling  up  new  Calvaries  ever 
With  the  Cross  that  turns  not  back." 

The  Master  never  expected  that  the  disciples 
should  sit  and  sing  themselves  away  to  everlasting 
bliss,  nor  idly  wish  "to-be  nothing."  The  Christianity 
of  Jesus  demands  less  of  the  negative  sentiment  ex- 
pressed in  the  words, 

"Nothing  in  my  hand  I  bring," 

and  more  of  the  positive  aggressiveness  which  ex- 
claims, 

"To  serve  the  present  age, 

My  calling  to  fulfill; 
O,  may  it  all  my  powers  engage 
To  do  my  Master's  will." 


175 


CHAPTER  X 


The  Spiritual   Evangelization    of    the 

Rural  Community  Through 

Its  Church 

BY  REV.  OTIS  MOORE, 

Pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
North  Canton,  Conn. 

1.   The  Supreme  Aim 

WHAT  is  the  test  of  efficiency  in  the  work  of  the 
Church  in  the  rural  community?  Does  it  help  to 
bring  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  into 
the  hearts  of  the  people?  Does  it 
help  to  make  the  community  a  part 
of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven?  This 
is  the  test.  Whatever  directly  or 
indirectly  ministers  to  this  great 
aim  is  a  legitimate  activity  of  the 
Church;  but  if  any  activity  fails  in 
the  long  run  to  help  toward  the  ac- 
complishment of  this  high  purpose, 
it  is  worse  than  useless.  The  spir- 
itual evangelization  of  the  rural  community  is  the 
supreme  mission  of  the  rural  Church,  the  register  of 
its  real  success,  and,  in  the  last  analysis,  the  motive 

176 


REV.  MR.  MOORE 


SPIRITUAL  EVANGELIZATION 

force  which  will  realize  lesser  aims,  if  ever  they  are 
to  be  realized. 

And  the  inspiring  thing  about  trying  to  bring  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  into  a  rural  community  is  that 
the  Church,  which  utilizes  all  the  spiritual  forces 
available,  which  puts  prayer  and  hard  work  into  its 
every  activity,  may  actually  see  results.  The  work 
of  any  one  Church  in  a  large  center,  be  it  ever  so 
strong  and  efficient,  can  at  best  make  only  a  small 
contribution  toward  the  redemption  of  a  great  city. 
In  the  country  the  situation  is  different.  Who  has 
not  seen  a  rural  community  actually  transformed 
within  the  lifetime  of  one  man — so  transformed  that 
it  is  easy  for  all  who  know  the  community  to  appre- 
ciate the  contrast  between  what  it  was  and  what  it 
is?  Where  a  community  was  a  center  of  shiftlessness,' 
ignorance,  and  hopelessness — a  community,  perhaps, 
where  people  lived  in  almost  utter  disregard  of  all 
things  high  and  noble,  it  has  become  a  center  of  in- 
telligence, of  moral  worth,  of  high-purposed  Christian 
citizenship.  Things  like  this  have  been  done  and  can 
be  done  through  the  Church.  Surely  such  a  task  is 
one  to  challenge  the  consecrated  talents  of  any  man. 

But  a  great  work  of  rural  regeneration  such  as 
this  is  not  wrought  under  God  in  a  day,  nor  under  the 
leadership  of  any  pastor  who  is  not  appreciative  of 
his  opportunity  and  in  love  with  his  job. 

2.   The  Sort  of  Leader*  Needed 

In  this  connection,  it  may  be  said  that  a  lack  of 
real  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  country  minister 
12  177 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

with  his  people  is  back  of  the  failure  of  many  a 
country  Church's  work.  Sometimes  it  is  an  old  min- 
ister, buried  in  his  books,  a  man  whose  sermons 
smell  of  the  study-oil,  perhaps  a  fine  preacher  for  a 
scholarly  audience,  but  having  no  deep  sympathy 
with,  or  understanding  of,  the  troubles,  needs,  and 
ambitions  of  his  farmer  people.  Let  no  man  speak 
disrespectfully  of  this  man's  ministry,  but  let  it  be 
said  that  such  a  ministry  fails  to  grasp  the  full  mean- 
ing of  the  country  minister's  opportunity.  Some- 
times it  is  a  young  man,  who  is  just  resting  in  a 
country  parish  until  he  can  make  arrangements  to  go 
to  a  better  charge,  or,  to  state  the  extreme  case,  until 
he  can  pull  the  wires  or  make  splurge  enough  to  get 
a  city  appointment.  The  ministry  of  such  a  man  is 
an  incalculable  hurt  to  any  rural  community.  Of  all 
the  perils  of  the  country  Church,  probably  none 
could  be  worse  than  the  peril  of  a  self-seeking  min- 
istry. A  more  common  and  less  pernicious  case  is 
that  of  the  young  man  who  is  really  deeply  devoted 
to  the  ministry  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  has  entered 
the  ministry  perhaps  at  a  sacrifice,  but  who  does  not 
set  himself  seriously  and  definitely  to  the  task  of 
understanding  the  people  with  whom  he  works  in 
the  country.  He  may  feel  that  he  is  not  fitted  for 
work  in  a  rural  community,  that  his  training  has  not 
been  in  that  direction  at  all.  In  a  perfectly  natural 
way,  except  for  an  occasional  round  of  formal  calls, 
and  the  routine  of  Sunday  Church  service  and  prayer- 
meeting,  he  puts  in  most  of  his  time  in  studying  his 
books,  and  very  little  time  in  studying  the  people  and 

178 


SPIRITUAL  EVANGELIZATION 

the  situation  with  which  he  has  to  deal.  He  wants 
to  be  fitted  for  a  bigger  place  when  the  call  comes. 
His  interest  in  his  parish  is  at  best  temporary.  His 
pastorate  is  short.  Sometimes,  too,  a  sort  of  dis- 
illusionment comes  to  a  young  man  just  entering  the 
work,  who  is  utterly  devoid  of  any  self-interest,  who 
has  indeed  a  very  passion  for  unselfish  service,  be- 
cause he  finds  that  people  in  general — sometimes 
older  ministers  even — assume  that  he  is  anxious  to 
get  a  "better  appointment."  We  have  no  quarrel 
with  the  ambitions  of  any  man,  and  without  doubt 
it  is  perfectly  human  and  natural,  and  sometimes 
necessary,  for  some  men  to  seek  to  fit  themselves  for 
the  bigger,  better-paid  places;  but  the  work  of  a 
country  preacher  in  a  poor  rural  community,  through 
a  glorious  ministry,  is  a  ministry  of  service  and  sac- 
rifice. The  man  who  would  build  himself  into  the 
life  of  a  rural  community,  who  would  build  himself 
into  Christ's  Kingdom  in  the  country,  must  give 
himself  to  it  with  the  same  passion  and  self-renuncia- 
tion as  a  foreign  missionary.  And  I  believe  many 
young  men  are  eager  to  do  it.  The  spiritual  evangeli- 
zation of  the  country  communities  depends  on  such 
men. 

3.    Hindrances  to  Spiritual  Evangelization 

The  heart  of  rural  life  in  the  United  States  is 
sound.  As  a  general  thing,  the  country  Churches 
have  held,  in  some  more  or  less  distinctive  way,  a 
place  in  community  leadership.  On  the  other  hand, 
because  many  of  them  have  been  too  narrow  in  their 
field  of  leadership,  they  have  not  made  conquest  of 

179 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

their  territory.  Worse  than  that,  there  has  been 
ground  lost  in  the  spiritual  life  of  some  country  dis- 
tricts, which  only  "grace,  grit,  and  gumption"  can 
regain.  Contrasting,  for  example,  a  certain  very 
prosperous  and  progressive  country  community  in 
Iowa  with  certain  very  backward,  abandoned  farm 
sections  of  New  England,  two  essentially  different 
conditions  present  themselves.  In  both  cases  an 
unprogressive  Church  is  at  fault.  But  in  the  one 
case  a  very  progressive,  prosperous  community  has 
left  a  lagging,  unprogressive  Church  behind  it,  while 
in  the  other  the  community  itself  is  dying,  because 
a  visionless  Church  has  failed  to  give  the  people  the 
spirit  of  co-operation  for  community  betterment. 
The  cases  are  typical,  and  I  believe  fairly  represent 
two  chief  perils  of  country  life.  The  big  task  of  rural 
conservation,  of  rural  betterment,  is  how  to  preserve 
the  simplicity,  purity,  and  naturalness  of  country 
life,  while  stimulating  intelligent  progressiveness. 
This  is  the  task  of  the  Church ;  for  the  country  Church 
can  not  be  considered  apart  from  the  community. 
Their  interests  are  absolutely  identical.  A  peril  can 
not  be  a  peril  to  the  community  unless  it  is  also  a 
peril  to  the  Church. 

(a)  The  Progressive  Community. — In  the  case  of 
the  prosperous  Iowa  farming  section  of  which.  I 
speak  (and  it  might  as  well  be  a  prosperous  farming 
section  of  any  other  State),  the  community  has  been 
citified  too  rapidly;  social  distinctions  are  beginning 
to  become  prominent.  In  the  old  days  the  hired 
man  was  as  good  as  anybody.  Not  infrequently  the 

180 


SPIRITUAL  EVANGELIZATION 

hired  girl  was  some  neighbor's  daughter.  Her  father 
might  be  better  off  than  the  man  who  hired  her,  but 
if  she  was  not  needed  at  home,  she  felt  no  sense  of 
inferiority  whatever  in  working  out.  But  the  curse 
of  artificial  class  distinction  began  to  fasten  itself  on 
the  country.  In  this  community  many  of  the  farmers 
have  automobiles.  Others  are  madly  struggling  to 
get  them;  and  some  have  them  who  have  no  business 
whatever  to  have  them.  In  other  ways,  people  are 
struggling  wildly  to  get  ahead  of  each  other,  to  make 
a  show  of  prosperity  before  their  neighbors.  The 
people  do  not  go  to  church;  they  go  visiting  on  Sun- 
days, or  speed  off  to  the  nearest  pleasure  resorts. 
Shrewdness  is  at  a  premium  and  settled  principles  are 
discounted.  It  is  only  among  the  chosen  few  that 
we  find  intellectual  interests  and  high  ideals.  People 
live  for  the  moment,  or  else  they  do  not  know  what 
they  live  for.  Bad  as  it  is,  it  happens  that  in  this 
particular  Iowa  community  the  social  purity  of  the 
people  has  not  been  contaminated  very  much  as  yet. 
There  are  a  good  many  empty-headed  and  flashy 
young  people  around,  but  there  is  still  a  standard  of 
decency  prevailing  in  general,  mostly  because  the 
Church  still  lives,  however  feeble  and  despised.  The 
harvest  of  this  sort  of  thing  will  come  in  the  next 
generation,  when  all  connection  with  the  Church  has 
been  broken,  and  already  one  can  see  that  it  will  not 
be  a  desirable  result  to  contemplate.  This  com- 
munity needs  old-fashioned  religion,  burning  from  the 
heart;  it  needs  to  have  the  old  gospel  of  moral  right- 
eousness and  sin-hating  proclaimed  to  it  by  letter, 

181 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

by  personal  word,  by  sermon,  and  from  every  sign- 
post. Somehow  the  community  must  be  made  to 
see  its  drift.  The  children  need  to  be  trained  in  the 
love  of  Christ  and  the  Church  and  in  the  high  inter- 
ests of  intellectual  life.  Somehow,  at  any  cost  to 
discarded  formality,  the  Church  must  be  made  the 
social  center  -of  the  community,  that  it  may  also  be 
the  spiritual  center. 

(b)  The  Stagnant  Church. — In  the  case  of  the  dying 
Church  in  the  dying  community  the  situation  is  alto- 
gether different.  If  it  is  going  to  die  because  there  is 
another  evangelical  Church  in  the  community,  let  it 
die.  Who  shall  say  that  it  is  not  in  the  Providence  of 
God  that  many  competing  Churches  in  rural  com- 
munities are  being  killed  off.  I  think  there  is  too 
much  emphasis  laid  on  the  necessity  for  preserving 
competition  among  trie  Churches.  To  my  mind,  the 
devil  furnishes  competition  enough  for  anybody.  If 
there  is  only  one  Church  in  a  country  community, 
and  it  is  dying  because  the  community  itself  is  dying, 
the  chances  are  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hundred  that  if 
the  Church  as  an  institution  helped  to  promote  scien- 
tific farming  in  the  community  and  did  its  full  duty 
in  uniting  the  people  in  co-operative  endeavor,  both 
the  community  and  the  Church  would  live  in  strength. 

4.    Helps  to  Constructive  Evangelization 

Now  there  are  other  spiritual  perils  in  our  country 
communities  besides  these  two — stagnation  on  the 
one  hand,  and  progress! veness  gone  riot  on  the 
other.  But  these  are  among  the  most  common  and 

182 


SPIRITUAL  EVANGELIZATION 

most  pernicious.  How  can  they  be  met  and  counter- 
acted? How  can  the  spiritual  regeneration  of  such 
communities  be  brought  about?  The  answer  surely 
must  be:  By  making  religion  more  a  part  of  the 
every-day  interests  of  the  people.  The  Church  should 
help  to  make  better  farmers,  that  it  may  make  better 
men.  The  Church  should  lead  in  all  things  good, 
that  it  may  lead  the  people  to  the  best.  It  should 
lead  in  community  betterment,  that  it  may  lead  the 
community  to  God.  There  must  be  old-fashioned 
religion,  but  new-fashioned  Church  methods. 

(a)  The  Community  Survey. — It  is  a  wonderful 
thing  for  a  country  community  to  get  a  clear  vision 
of  itself,  and  then  a  vision  of  what  it  may  become. 
It  is  a  forerunner  of  spiritual  conquest;  in  fact,  a 
notable  triumph  in  itself,  for  a  community  to  get  an 
ideal  clearly  before  it,  however  far  away  the  realiza- 
tion may  be.  Every  pastor  and  every  Church  should 
study  the  problem  of  the  local  community.  Under 
the  guidance  and  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  they  should 
find  out  as  near  as  possible  just  what  the  needs  of 
the  Church  and  of  the  community  are.  If  the  Church 
does  not  measure  up  to  its  opportunities,  what  are  its 
weaknesses?  Just  where  does  it  fall  short  of  the 
ideal  Church  for  the  field  in  which  it  works?  How 
about  the  community?  If  the  community  is  drifting, 
morally  and  spiritually,  can  not  some  sort  of  compass 
observation  be  made  to  show  this.  If  the  country 
roads  are  in  bad  shape,  if  farming  methads  are  behind 
the  times,  if  there  is  no  wholesome  social  life  for  the 
young  people,  if  the  farmers  do  not  work  together  as 

183 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

they  should,  can  not  the  trouble  be  clearly  located? 
The  Church  should  get  before  itself  a  definite  ideal 
to  work  for,  one  which  includes  the  entire  com- 
munity. It  should  be  an  ideal  which  will  capture  the 
imagination  of  the  young  people  and  stir  the  interest 
of  all. 

Furthermore,  a  definite  program  of  specific  things 
to  be  accomplished  should  be  carefully  worked  out 
by  all.  Then  a  constructive  program,  covering  a 
period  of  years,  but  amenable  to  change,  should  be 
adopted.  Each  organization  connected  with  the 
Church  should  have  its  responsibility  for  its  part  of 
the  program.  Both  ideal  and  program  should  be 
definitely  outlined  and  posted  in  a  conspicuous  place. 
The  pastor  should  preach  at  least  once  a  year  conr 
cerning  "What  ought  this  Church  to  do?"  In  every 
possible  way  there  should  be  kept  before  the  people 
the  Church  ideal  and  the  community  ideal,  with  a 
program  of  definite  things  to  be  done.  It  is  abso- 
lutely fundamental  in  rural  Church  work  to  be  headed 
somewhere  definitely,  no  matter  how  small  the 
Church  or  the  community. 

(b)  Community  Brotherhood. — Mark  Twain  once 
said  that  he  wanted  to  belong  to  the  Human  Race 
Club.  Because  it  aspires  to  be  a  part  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven,  the  country  Church  ought  to  be  a  sort  of 
local  headquarters  for  the  Human  Race  Club.  Every 
member  and  every  attendant  of  the  Church  should 
be  made  to  feel  his  responsibility  for  making  the 
Church  a  place  where  the  real  spirit  of  Christian 
brotherhood  prevails,  and  for  spreading  that  spirit 

184 


SPIRITUAL  EVANGELIZATION 

in  the  community.  This  should  be  preached  and 
practiced.  Snobbishness  should  be  scathingly  con- 
demned. Every  possible  effort  should  be  made  to 
make  the  atmosphere  of  the  church  attractive  to 
everybody.  The  following  letter  was  recently  sent 
to  the  heads  of  the  Jewish  families  in  our  community, 
and  the  appeal  met  with  a  hearty  response: 

"The  object  of  this  letter  is  to  extend  to  you  a  very  cordial 
invitation  to  come  and  worship  with  us  at  the  North  Canton 
Church.  There  is  no  synagogue  in  this  place.  I  am  sure  that 
you  must  feel  the  loss  of  an  6pportunity  to  worship  the  true  God 
with  others.  I  do  not  propose  to  try  to  make  proselytes  of  you 
or  your  children  in  any  way.  I  know  that  there  will  be  nothing 
in  my  sermons  at  which  you  can  take  offense.  Of  course,  I  do 
propose  to  preach  the  sweet,  simple  story  of  Jesus,  with  the 
hope  that  it  will  win  you  to  accept  Him,  but  I  shall  not  make 
any  special  proselyting  appeals  to  you.  Your  children  need  re- 
ligious influences.  You  realize  that  as  much  as  I  do.  Come 
and  see  if-  you  do  not  like  the  fellowship  of  our  Church.  And, 
in  any  case,  let  us  get  together  in  every  way  we  can  for  our 
mutual  good,  for  the  uplift  of  the  community,  and  the  better- 
ment of  all.  Will  you  not  think  of  me  as  your  brother  in  the 
worship  of  Jehovah?" 

The  Church  should  furnish  a  wholesome,  happy 
center  of  social,  intellectual,  and  spiritual  interest  for 
all.  There  should  be  something  going  on  all  the 
time;  something  in  which. social,  intellectual,  and  re- 
ligious elements  can  be  helpfully  combined.  As  a 
general  rule,  the  social  events  in  the  country  should 
include  everybody,  from  the  oldest  to  the  youngest. 
Community  picnics,  farmers'  institutes,  Old-Home- 
Day  celebrations,  and  local  historical  pageants  are 

185 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

the  sort  of  things  which  should  draw  out  everybody. 
In  our  Church  we  have  a  "Game  Room  Night"  every 
Tuesday  evening,  to  which  no  one  is  urged  to  come, 
but  everybody  is  invited;  and  "Full-Moon  Socials" 
once  a  month,  with  "Nothing  to  eat  and  nothing  to 
pay."  We  have  mock  trials,  debates,  home  talent 
entertainments,  declamatory  contests,  camp-fire  even- 
ings, corn-roasts,  skating  parties  in  the  winter,  old 
folks'  nights,  and  a  baseball  team.  In  the  Church 
services  we  celebrate  all  the  days — Harvest  Home, 
Thanksgiving,  Christmas,  New  Year's,  Washington's 
Birthday,  Lincoln's  Birthday,  Good  Friday,  Easter, 
Seed-Time,  Mothers'  Day,  Memorial  Day,  Children's 
Day,  Fourth  of  July,  Labor  Day,  and  we  make  sure 
that  everybody  knows  about  these  things.  However 
slow  the  progress  may  be,  the  young  people  .should 
be  trained  to  have  full  charge  of  their  social  events, 
and  to  have  a  helping  part  in  everything  done  for  the 
Church.  There  are  books  of  social  plans  available 
nowadays,  and  also  many  periodicals  publish  excellent 
suggestions.1  The  old  lyceum,  with  its  current  events, 
question-box,  debating  society,  travel  studies,  spelling- 
bee,2  etc.,  is  still  a  splendid  institution.  In  so  far  as 
possible,  the  social  events  should  be  cultural  and  edu- 
cative and  spiritual;  and  the  educational  events,  as 

1  Stern,  Renee  B.:  "Neighborhood  Entertainments,"  p.  297.     1911.     Stur- 
gis  and  Walton  Company,  New  York,  $1. 

.  *  "Agricultural  Words  and  Spelling  Contest  Rules  "  is  the  title  of  a  book- 
let containing  an  exhaustive  list  of  words  commonly  used  on  the  farm  and  in 
agricultural  instruction,  together  with  rules  for  conducting  spelling  contests. 
The  booklet  is  especially  designed  to  form  the  basis  of  spelling-bees  in  rural 
communities.  Specimen  copies  may  be  secured  for  10  cents  each  from  the 
Country  Classics  Company,  1081  Fair  Avenue,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

186 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

farmers'  lectures,  elocutionary  recitals,  and  general 
lectures,  should  also  be  social  events.  Religion  should 
not  be  "dragged  in"  on  social  occasions,  but  every 
event  and  occasion  should  be  permeated  with  the 
Christian  spirit.  Prayerfully  and  tactfully  managed, 
these  social  events  may  easily  furnish  rare  oppor- 
tunities for  religious  suggestion  and  influence. 

This  wider  community  brotherhood,  of  which  the 
Church  is  the  center,  should  be  economic,  as  well  as 
social  and  religious.  If  a  farmer  is  sick  or  disabled, 
the  Church  men  should  lead  in  organizing  the  neigh- 
bors for  a  helping-bee.  They  should  lead  in  good- 
road  agitation,  and  see  that  every  dollar  spent  for  road 
improvement  does  something.  The  Church  should 
strive  in  every  possible  way  to  promote  business  co- 
operation and  mutual  helpfulness  among  farmers. 

The  movement  for  co-operation  among  farmers 
now  sweeping  over  the  country  is  one  of  the  most 
significant  economic  changes  of  the  time.  It  has 
already  revolutionized  farming  conditions  in  certain 
sections  of  the  West.  The  financial  success  of  these 
co-operative  enterprises  is  something  marvelous.  But 
that  is  the  least  of  the  benefits.  Co-operation  is  edu- 
cative. It  is  unifying.  Not  only  has  co-joperation 
brought  prosperity  to  many  an  otherwise  doomed 
community,  but  the  economic  saving  to  society  at 
large  is  tremendous,  for  it  helps  to  bring  to  market 
immense  quantities  of  food-stuffs  which  would  other- 
wise go  to  waste.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  exaggerate 
the  significance  of  the  co-operative  movement  among 
farmers  throughout  the  country. 

188 


SPIRITUAL  EVANGELIZATION 

Co-operation  is  a  matter  of  fundamental  spiritual 
interest.  It  is  based  on  the  faith  of  a  man  in  his 
neighbor,  and  that,  in  the  last  analysis,  is  based  on 
a  man's  faith  in  God.  Co-operation  is  impossible 
without  the  spirit  of  brotherhood ;  in  other  words,  the 
spirit  of  Jesus.  In  the  long  run,  co-operation  can  not 
live  without  a  religious  background,  and  with  a  re- 
ligious background  it  can  be  made  wonderfully 
helpful. 

(c)  The  Church's  Responsibility  for  Community  In- 
telligence.— Souls  grow  by  what  they  feed  upon.  There 
is  no  excuse  for  any  rural  community  being  without 
good  library  facilities;  and  it  should  be  part  of  the 
business  of  the  Church  to  see  that  its  community 
does  have  such  facilities.  If  the  community  itself 
can  not  maintain  a  growing  library,  outside  aid  can 
undoubtedly  be  secured.  Almost  all  of  the  States 
now  have  State  traveling  libraries  available  at  a  nom- 
inal cost  for  transportation. 

The  Church  should  encourage,  and  even  promote, 
knowledge  of  scientific  farming,  and  strive  to  capture 
the  imagination  of  the  boys  and  girls  for  farming  as 
a  life-work,  farming  with  the  brains  as  well  as  with 
the  hands.  They  should  also  be  interested  in  the 
ideal  of  rural  life  as  one  with  full-orbed  possibilities 
for  happiness  and  service.  We  have  had  a  dozen  of 
the  best  known  experts  on  agricultural  subjects  in 
New  England  come  to  speak  to  us  in  our  little  church. 
Almost  any  country  Church  can  do  things  of  this 
kind  by  co-operating  with  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture and  the  agricultural  college. 

189 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  Church  and  the 
school  should  work  hand  in  hand  in  toning  the  intel- 
lectual ideals  of  the  community.  The  pastor  should 
know  the  schools  in  his  parish  thoroughly,  and  visit 
them  now  and  then ;  perhaps  speak  to  the  children  on 
some  such  subjects  as  "Courage,"  " Helpfulness," 
"Patriotism,"  and  "Reverence." 

The  educative  opportunity  of  the  country  min- 
ister is  unlimited.  In  this  connection,  it  may  be  worth 
noting  that  in  our  parish  the  pastor  at  the  regular 
Sunday  morning  service  reads  a  brief  quotation  of 
some  kind  just  after  the  first  hymn.  The  effort  is  to 
get  something  which,  in  its  sheer  literary  quality,  will 
lift  us  up  toward  God.  It  may  be  a  paragraph  from 
one  of  Phillips  Brooks'  sermons,  a  little  bit  from 
Tolstoi  or  Browning  or  Tennyson,  or  a  contemporary 
poet  like  Edward  Rowland  Sill  or  Alfred  Noyes.  All 
such  things  surely  help  to  fortify  our  community 
intellectually  and  spiritually,  and  lead  the  children 
and  grown-ups  toward  God. 

5.    The  Test. 

After  all,  it  is  not  by  farmers'  institutes  or  co- 
operative movements  even,  not  by  good  roads  nor 
libraries,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the  hearts  of 
men  that  any  rural  community  will  be  saved — and 
saved  to  do  service.  It  is  only  as  the  lesser  interests 
center  in  the  heart-life  of  the  people  that  they  help 
at  all.  It  must  be  admitted  that  when  a  Church  is 
socialized  there  is  always  great  danger  of  its  being 
secularized.  In  carrying  out  a  program  of  social 

190 


SPIRITUAL  EVANGELIZATION 

activity  and  effort  for  community  betterment,  it  is 
easy  to  get  interested  in  the  machinery  and  to  forget- 
the  real  end  for  which  we  are  working.  I  would  not 
give  anything  for  a  Church,  no  matter  how  character- 
istically a  community  center,  no  matter  how  much  an 
intellectual  center,  if  the  religious  basis  upon  which 
it  is  built  does  not  show  itself  at  every  point.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  surely  must  be  true  that  where  re- 
ligion is  blended  with  every  other  interest  of  the 
people,  it  becomes  a  much  more  vital  thing  than  it 
can  ever  be  in  the  one-day-in-the-week  Church. 

Certainly,  these  week-a-day  interests  open  up 
countless  avenues  of  approach  to  children  and  young 
people,  and  even  the  most  indifferent  and  hardened 
non-church-goers.  The  final  and  most  important  aim 
must  be  to  touch  every  individual  life  in  the  com- 
munity in  some  helpful  way.  This  is  what  pastor 
and  people  must  pray  and  work  for  most.  There 
must  be  intercessory  prayer  for  the  individual,  and 
good  straight-from-the-shoulder  talks  with  men  and 
women,  boys  and  girls,  about  the  deep  things  of  life. 
If  we  pray  enough  the  Holy  Spirit  will  drive  us  to  our 
work  and  will  guide  us  in  it,  even  in  the  most  minute 
details.  A  real  man  of  prayer  can  not  be  a  lazy  man, 
nor  an  inefficient  worker.  The  harvest  times  will 
come.  Sometimes  there  will  be  the  great  ingather- 
ings, but  most  times  the  harvest  will  be  hand-picked. 


191 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  Rural  Church  as  a  Factor  in  the 

Social  Life  of  the  Country 

Community 

BY  REV.  CHARLES  E.  TURLEY,  B.  L., 

Pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Shawnee,  Ohio. 

WE  live  in  a  great  age  in  the  world's  history.  It 
is  an  age  of  invention,  an  age  of  progress,  and  of  de- 
velopment along  all  lines.  This 
progress  is  not  confined  to  the  great 
centers  of  our  population,  but  per- 
meates the  whole  of  our  American 
life  and  reaches  nearly  every  rural 
community. 

The  Life  with  Nature  Is  the  Nor- 
mal   Life. — Life    in    contact    with 
nature  is  the  normal  life.     It  is  a 
fine  thing  to  plow  the  fields,  to  sow 
REV.  MR. TURLEY      the  seed,  garner  the  harvests,  breathe 
the  pure  air,  bathe  in  the  sunshine,  and  look  up  at 
the  stars. 

Wordsworth,  that  great  poet  of  nature,  has  very 
beautifully  described  the  mountain  shepherd  who 
lived  in  close  touch  with  nature.  He  says  of  him: 

192 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

"O  then  how  beautiful,  how  bright,  appeared 
The  written  promise!     Early  had  he  learned 
To  reverence  the  volume  that  displays 
The  mystery,  the  life  which  can  not  die; 
But  in  the  mountains  did  he  feel  his  faith. 
All  things,  responsive  to  the  writing,  there 
Breathed  immortality,  revolving  life, 
And  greatness  still  revolving;  infinite: 
There  littleness  was  not;  the' least  of  things 
Seemed  infinite;  and  there  his  spirit  shaped 
Her  prospects,  nor  did  he  believe, — he  saw.11 

Are  We  Becoming  a  Nation  of  Cities? 

A  bulletin  entitled,  "Population  of  Cities,"  com- 
piled by  William  C.  Huni,  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  shows  that, in  1910  the  urban 
population  of  this  country  was  42,623,383,  an  increase 
over  1900  of  38.4  per  cent.  The  rural  population  was 
49,348,883,  an  increase  over  1900  of  11.2  per  .cent. 
The  rate  of  increase  of  urban  population  over  rural 
in  the  last  ten  years  has  been  27.2  per  cent.  In  the 
States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Iowa,  and  Missouri  there 
was  a  decrease  in  rural  population  from  1900  to  1910. 
It  is  very  evident  that  something  must  be  done  to 
maintain  our  rural  population. 

There  is,  indeed,  good  cause  for  the  alarm  that  is 
felt  by  many  leaders  that  our  country  is  fast  becom- 
ing a  nation  of  cities.  The  lure  of  the  city  has  proved 
attractive  to  many,  and  this  attractiveness  is  on  the 
increase,  rather  than  on  the  decrease,  in  its  power. 
The  irregularity  of  country  work,  the  introduction  of 
labor-saving  machinery  on  the  farm,  the  unequal  dis- 
tribution of  the  foreign  immigrant,  the  larger  social, 
13  193 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

industrial,  educational,  and  religious  advantages  of 
the  city  have  all  had  a  tendency  to  increase  the  urban 
population  at  a  greater  rate  than  the  rural.  Not- 
withstanding this  marvelous  growth  of  our  cities, 
there  are  still  several  millions  of  our  citizens  engaged 
in  the  occupation  of  agriculture.  The  value  of  the 
crops  for  1910  reached  the  enormous  sum  of  $8,926,- 
000,000.  The  value  of  the  crops  from  1899  to  1910, 
inclusive,  amounted  to  $79,000,000,000. 

Serving  Rural  America  is  a  Great  Service 

Thus  agriculture  is  a  very  important  factor  in  our 
American  life.  Whatever  is  done  for  the  material, 
social,  intellectual,  and  religious  life  of  those  so  en- 
gaged is  rendering  a  great  service  to  our  country. 

When  President  Roosevelt  appointed  "The  Coun- 
try Life  Commission,"  he  said  to  the  commission- 
ers: "It  is  especially  important  that  whatever  will 
serve  to  prepare  country  children  for  life  on  the 
farm,  and  whatever  will  brighten  home  life  in  the 
country  and  make  it  richer  and  more  attractive  for 
the  mothers  and  wives  and  daughters,  should  be  done 
promptly  and  gladly.  There  is  no  more  important 
person,  measured  in  influence  upon  the  life  of  the 
nation,  than  the  farmer's  wife;  no  more  important 
home  than  the  country  home;  and  it  is  of  national 
importance  that  we  do  the  best  we  can  for  both." 

The  Rural  Community  Needs  the  Christian  Church 

One  of  the  great  centers  of  rural  life,  one  that  has 
a  commanding  influence  in  molding  the  highest  type 

194 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

of  community  life,  is  the  Church.  Every  rural  com- 
munity needs  the  presence  of  a  strong,  useful  Church. 
Indifference  on  the  part  of  the  citizens  of  a  com- 
munity to  the  Church  and  religion  can  bring  only 
disastrous  results.  This  indifference  will  open  the 
door  for  almost  every  form  of  wickedness  and  vice. 
A  letter  recently  appeared  in  The  Christian  Work  and 
Evangelist,  by  one  who  spent  four  years  in  the  Cana- 
dian Northwest.  He  says:  "The  nearest  church 
was  twenty-five  miles  away.  There  was  practically 
no  organized  Christianity  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
industrial  situation  was  almost  ideal.  Every  settler 
owned  his  own  farm.  The  prairies  furnished  the  wild 
hay,  free  for  all  who  wanted  to  cut  it.  Neighbors 
were  so  far  apart  that  there  was  no  excuse  for  line- 
fence  quarrels.  Every  man's  success  depended  upon 
nothing  but  his  own  industry  and  good  management. 
There  was  no  need  of  over-reaching,  of  dishonest 
practice  between  neighbor  and  neighbor.  The  air 
was  pure,  the  skies  bright,  the  soil  rich,  the  climate 
wholesome  and  invigorating,  and  yet,  in  spite  of  this 
ideal  industrial  and  social  situation,  it  was  not  a  fit 
place  to  bring  up  children.  Drunkenness,  profanity, 
and  neighborhood  quarreling  abounded.  Those  neigh- 
borhoods need  the  Church  more  than  anything  else, 
and  of  all  institutions  in  the  world,  there  is  but  one 
that  will  save  those  people  from  drifting  into  bar- 
barism, and  that  is  the  Christian  Church.  Where 
the  Church  is  strong  and  prosperous,  the  community 
will  always  be  characterized  by  righteousness,  purity, 
and  kindliness  of  life." 

195 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Prof.  Joseph  A.  Leighton,  of  Hobart  College, 
Geneva,  in  a  recent  address,  said :  ' '  The  Churches  are, 
by  inheritance  and  choice,  the  guardians  and  cham- 
pions of  the  moral  order  in  society.  To-day  they 
fight  against  heavy  odds.  It  behooves  them  to  get 
rid  of  unnecessary  baggage,  to  make  an  end  of  irrel- 
evant controversies,  to  bury  dead  issues,  and  combine 
their  energies  on  the  one  aim  of  conserving  and  en- 
forcing the  Christian  moral  values  of  civilization. 

"In  the  midst  of  social  and  moral  chaos,  a  few 
choice  spirits  may  find  consolation  and  strength  in 
philosophy;  but  for  the  many,  vivid,  passionate,  and 
energetic  religious  conviction  is  the  condition  of 
moral  health  and  vigor.  No  great  civilization  has 
ever  outlasted  the  demise  of  its  religious  faith.  If 
the  moral  bases  of  our  culture  are  in  imminent  dan- 
ger, the  danger  can  be  averted  only  by  a  new  crusade 
on  behalf  of  social  righteousness  and  personal  in- 
tegrity, animated  by  a  religious  view  of  life,  for  which 
the  human  spirit  transcends  nature  through  kinship 
with  absolute  spirit." 

Dr.  Aked,  of  San  Francisco,  says:  "The  Churches 
are  the  incarnate  conscience  of  the  nation.  They  are 
a  protest  against  materialism,  a  perpetual  witness  to 
the  ideal." 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Jefferson,  in  his  recent  book,  "The 
Building  of  a  Church,"  says:  "A  congregation,  de- 
voutly engaged  in  worship,  is  doing  something  for 
the  community  which  can  not  be  done  in  any  other 
way." 

Many  country  communities  are  possessed  with  the 
196 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

materialistic  spirit.  Their  joys  and  pleasures  seem 
to  be  confined  to  the  things  of  time  and  sense.  They 
need  the  Church  in  their  midst,  in  order  that  the 
claims  of  the  higher  and  better  life  be  presented  to 
them  with  such  force  and  power  that  visible  results 
will  be  accomplished. 

Dr.  Strong  has  recorded  the  facts  of  the  history  of 
two  townships  on  the  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio. 
"The  southern  township  was  founded  by  a  devoted 
and  far-sighted  home  missionary.  He  had  become 
convinced  that  he  could  do  more  by  establishing  a 
Christian  community  on  the  Reserve  than  by  many 
years  of  desultory  labor  as  a  home  missionary.  The 
settlers  were  carefully  selected.  None  but  professing 
Christians  became  land  owners.  A  Church  was  or- 
ganized under  the  roof  of  the  first  log  cabin.  Eight 
roads  meet  in  the  center  of  the  township,  and  there 
the  church  was  located,  to  represent  the  central  place 
that  religion  should  occupy  in  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity. Soon  followed  the  school  and  the  library; 
and  there,  in  the  midst  of  the  unconquered  forest, 
only  eight  years  after  the  first  white  settlement,  the 
people  planted  an  academy.  At  an  early  period 
benevolent  societies  were  organized,  and  here  was 
opened  the  first  school  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  in 
Ohio.  The  northern  township  was  settled  by  an  in- 
fidel, who  seems  to  have  given  to  his  community  not 
only  his  name,  but  his  character.  He  naturally  at- 
tracted men  of  his  own  way  of  thinking.  He  hoped 
that  there  might  never  be  a  Christian  church  in  the 
township,  and  there  has  been  no  evangelical  Church 

197 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

there.  Though  one  of  the  best  colleges  in  the  West 
was  founded  within  five  miles,  it  is  not  known  that 
any  young  man  has  ever  taken  a  college  course  any- 
where. A  few  of  them  have  entered  professional  life, 
none  of  them  have  gained  a  wide  reputation.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  southern  township  is  widely 
known  for  its  moral  and  religious  character,  its  wealth 
and  liberality,  and  for  the  exceptionally  large  number 
of  youths  it  sends  to  colleges  and  seminaries.  The 
assessed  valuation  of  property  in  this  township  ex- 
ceeds that  of  the  northern  by  56  per  cent,  though  the 
latter  has  better  soil.  From  this  little  village  of  a 
few  hundred  inhabitants  have  gone  forth  men  to  the 
State  Legislature,  to  the  pulpit,  to  college  professor- 
ships east  and  west,  to  the  Supreme  bench  of  the 
State,  and  to  Congress."1 

Phases  of  Social  Activity  for  the  Rural  Church 

The  Church  in  the  rural  community  ought  to 
bring  the  people  together  on  one  common  platform. 
A  very  illiterate  man  once  said  to  me:  "I  tell  you, 
we  must  meet  as  the  apostles  did  in  the  days  of  old. 
They  all  met  with  one  discord!"  The  fact  of  the 
case  is,  too  many  of  our  rural  Churches  meet  in  just 
that  way.  There  are  divergent  elements  in  the  com- 
munity, the  moral  forces  are  divided  and  scattered, 
and  a  real  coherent  community  life  is  impossible. 

The  country  Church  must  do  more  than  hold 
Sunday  school  on  Sunday  morning  and  have  a  preach- 
ing service  once  every  two  weeks.  The  church  must 

1  Dr.  E.  S.  Lewis  in  Sunday  School  Journal — M.  E. 

198 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

be  made  a  real  social  center  in  the  rural  community. 
It  should  take  the  lead  in  work  and  recreation,  and 
should  ever  strive  for  the  practical  betterment  of  the 
people  in  the  community. 

The  Church,  to  win  men,  must  be  social,  and 
must  take  an  interest  in  them.  There  are  poor  people 
in  nearly  every  community,  who  ought  to  be  reached 
by  the  Church.  The  question  ought  not  to  be,  "How 
much  can  they  pay  toward  the  expense  fund?"  but, 
"How  much  of  help  and  inspiration  can  the  Church 
bring  to  them?" 

It  is  a  fundamental  fact  of  human  existence  that 
young  people  are  going  to  associate  together.  Obey- 
ing the  law  of  their  being,  the  sun  shines,  the  bird 
sings,  the  flower  sheds  its  fragrance,  the  rain  falls; 
and,  obeying  an  inward  law  of  their  being,  young 
people  are  going  to  meet  together  somewhere.  If  not 
in  the  church,  then  elsewhere,  many  times,  perhaps, 
under  questionable  influences. 

To  many  young  people,  country  life  is  very  dull 
and  uninteresting.  Their  lives  are  one  round  of 
ceaseless  toil.  They  have  n't  much  to  look  forward 
to:  and  just  so  soon  as  they  approach  young  man- 
hood and  womanhood  they  begin  to  cast  longing  eyes 
toward  the  city,  where  things  are  happening,  and 
where  they  can  find  some  amusement  and  pleasure 
to  break  the  monotony  of  their  daily  toil.  Thus  every 
year  many  ambitious  young  people  are  lost  to  our 
country  homes. 

Governor  Eberhart,  of  Minnesota,  in  an  address 
before  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 

199 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  pleaded  for  the  co-oper- 
ation of  the  Church  in  the  movement  toward  rural 
betterment,  said :  "The  depopulation  of  our  country's 
rural  districts  and  small  towns  and  the  congestion  of 
our  large  cities,  that  feed  our  criminal  institutions, 
presents  the  serious  question  of  whether  or  not  the 
Church,  as  an  institution,  ought  to  take  steps  to 
make  country  life  a  little  more  attractive  and  city 
life  a  little  more  wholesome. 

"The  time  has  come  when  a  religious  body  like 
this  ought  to  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that 
country  life  is  too  lonesome,  and  that  the  city  gets 
every  attraction.  The  glare  and  glitter  and  glimmer 
of  the  city  is  attracting  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  young  men,  women,  and  children  from  our 
rural  districts,  and  they  are  congesting  our  cities. 
Here  is  a  problem  over  all  the  problems  that  are  to 
be  solved  here.  Now,  then,  what  is  to  be  done?  I 
would  like  to  request  this  body  of  men  and  women 
to  co-operate  with  the  State  in  the  establishment  of 
social  centers  in  the  country,  where  we  can  bring  to 
the  people  attractions  and  amusements  that  are  clean 
and  wholesome,  and  which  will  attract  the  young 
people  and  keep  them  from  being  drawn  to  the  large 
cities." 

If  the  rural  Church  is  to  hold  its  own  and  meet 
its  larger  opportunity,  it  must  recognize  its  social 
mission. 

Oftentimes  there  are,  in  rural  communities,  good 
Christian  people  who  love  the  Church  supremely,  and 
who  love  God  devoutly,  who  can  not  see  the  impor- 

201 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

tance  of  relating  the  social  life  of  the  young  people 
with  the  life  of  the  Church.  Some  argue  that  the 
Church^was  made  for  worship  and  for  worship  alone. 
They  vigorously  oppose  any  move  made  in  the  direc- 
tion of  social  improvement,  on  the  ground  that  the 
Church  will  become  worldly:  and  every  year  many 
young  people  drift  away  and  are  forever  lost  to  the 
Church,  because  of  the  failure  of  the  Church  to  realize 
its  social  mission. 

A  Typical  Example  of  the  Status  of  the  Church  in 
Rural  Communities 

The  writer  recently  spent  a  week  in  a  township 
in  one  of  the  rich  counties  of  Western  Ohio,  investi- 
gating country  life  conditions. 

The  value  of  land  and  buildings  totaled  $1,302,110. 
The  farms  were  well  cared  for,  and  the  people  were 
prosperous.  The  population  of  the  township  was 
1,512.  There  were  six  church  buildings  and  five 
active  societies.  In  these  five  churches  there  was  a 
membership  of  550,  leaving  968  who  do  not  belong 
to  any  Church. 

Farmers,  school  teachers,  merchants,  and  min- 
isters were  interviewed,  and  all  united  in  saying  that 
the  Churches  were  making*  no  attempt  to  improve 
the  social  life  of  the  young  people.  Some  seemed  to 
think  the  mission  of  the  Church  was  distinctly  re- 
ligious, and  young  people  ought  to  be  satisfied  with 
the  Sunday  school  and  the  prayer-meeting.  The 
result  was  there  were  but  few  young  people  who  be- 
longed to  any  of  these  Churches. 

202 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

The  older  people  lamented  the  fact  that  "times 
were  not  as  they  used  to  be,"  and  the  Church  not  as 
strong  as  thirty  years  ago. 

I  asked  the  question,  "Why  is  the  Church  not 
stronger  than  it  is?"  Various  answers  were  given. 
I  will  record  a  few  of  them: 

"Mediocre  talent  in  the  pulpit.  When  one  goes 
to  church,  one  wants  to  get  something  worth  while." 

"There  are  divisions  in  the  Church  over  minor 
questions." 

"Many  have  gotten  out  of  the  habit  of  church 
attendance.  New  people  come  into  the  community, 
and  soon  drift  into  the  ways  of  the  people." 

"Too  much  Sunday  visiting.  Renters  do  not  at- 
tend much,  as  they  either  go  visiting  or  entertain 
company  on  Sunday." 

"The  Churches  are  making  no  attempt  to  improve 
the  social  life  of  the  young  people." 

"Churches  are  selfish.  Have  their  own  crowd, 
and  do  not  care  a  great  deal  about  others."  (This 
man  was  a  professional  man  of  the  town,  and  said 
he  had  never  been  approached  on  the  subject  of  the 
Christian  life,  except  by  ministers.  ) 

"Older  families  moved  into  town,  and  those  who 
came  did  not  take  their  place." 

"  People  are  too  selfish,  in  the  mad  rush  for  money. 
The  younger  generation  is  more  concerned  about  the 
making  of  money  than  religious  things." 

"Not  enough  sociability  in  the  Churches." 

"A  few  in  the  Churches  want  to  run  things." 

"Too  long  intervals  between  preaching  services." 
203 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

These  Churches  have  a  great  opportunity  to  ren- 
der a  social  service  to  the  people  in  their  communities. 
The  people  were  hungry  for  social  life,  and  the 
Churches  were  not  attempting  to  feed  them.  If  the 
Church  people  of  this  community  would  arouse 
themselves,  use  some  of  their  latent  energy,  and  at- 
tempt for  three  months  to  make  their  Churches 
social  centers  of  community  life,  there  would  be  a 
revolution  in  the  life  of  the  whole  people,  and  the 
Churches  would  increase  numerically,  financially,  and 
spiritually. 

The  Church  Should  Encourage  and  Minister  to  All  Good 
Community  Activities 

That  Church  is  the  most  spiritual  that  is  rendering 
the  most  practical,  helpful  service  to  all  departments 
of  community  life. 

With  many  rural  Churches  there  is  a  great  struggle 
for  bare  existence.  Oftentimes  the  main  question 
seems  to  be,  "How  can  we  save  the  Church?"  and 
not,  "How  can  the  Church  save  the  people?"  The 
Church  is  built  by  the  people  of  a  community.  It 
stands,  or  should  stand,  to  serve  the  people  of  that 
community.  .  Open  its  doors  to  helpful  lectures,  to 
clean  entertainments  by  the  young  people,  and,  if 
there  is  no  other  building  in  the  community  that  can 
be  used,  have  a  social  meeting  in  the  church. 

Once  the  writer  was  very  much  criticised  by  some 
of  the  over-pious  members  of  his  flock,  because  he 
brought  the  young  people  of  the  community  together 
in  the  church  for  a  literary  program.  Among  other 

204 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

things  on  the  program,  we  had  a  debate.  It  was  in 
1908,  and  the  question  debated  was:  ''Resolved, 
That  it  is  to  the  best  interest  of  the  country  that  Mr. 
Taft  be  elected  President." 

All  of  the  debaters  were  beardless  youths,  and 
they  debated  with  a  frenzied  enthusiasm.  Several 
members  of  the  Church  would  not  attend,  saying, 
"You  are  bringing  politics  into  the  Church,  and  the 
Church  was  made  for  worship."  But  a  pleasant 
evening  was  put  into  the  lives  of  the  young  people, 
and  they  went  home  feeling  that  the  Church  was  in- 
terested in  their  best  welfare. 

When  the  Church  will  awaken  to  its  social  mission, 
folks  will  rally  to  its  standards  who  have  never  been 
reached  before;  for  they  will  see  the  Church  means 
business,  and  stands  for  the  development  of  the  full- 
orbed,  complete  life. 

A  Few  Suggestions  from  Practical  Experience 

I  close  the  chapter  with  some  practical  sugges- 
tions which  have  been  worked  out  and  successfully 
applied  in  the  writer's  own  experience. 

After  sufficient  interest  has  been  awakened  in  the 
social  mission  of  the  Church,  it  will  not  be  difficult 
to  raise  funds  to  add  a  room  to  the  church  to  be  used 
for  social  purposes.  Make  it  large  enough  to  have  a 
cloak-room,  a  good  kitchen,  furnished  with  shelves, 
dishes,  stove,  and  cooking  utensils.  Then  have  a 
large  room  where,  if  they  desire,  boys  can  play  basket- 
ball, where  banquets  can  be  served,  where  games  can 
be  played,  and  where  a  general  good  social  time  can 

205 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

be  had.  Let  the  people  feel  that  it  is  their  room,  built 
to  promote  the  social  life  of  all  the  people  of  the  com- 
munity. Such  a  room  can  be  built  and  equipped  for 
$800  to  $1,000.  Give  the  people  a  chance  to  donate 
labor  and  money,  and  that  will  give  them  an  interest 
that  can  be  created  in  no  other  way.  Such  a  room, 
28  x  40  feet,  was  built  in  one  of  my  pastorates,  and 
has  met  a  long-felt  need  in  the  lives  of  the  people. 

In  our  present  pastorate  the  young  women  of  the 
Sunday  school  have  been  organized  into  a  Philathea 
class.  They  meet  every  two  weeks,  spend  some  time 
in  Bible  study,  have  a  program  with  readings,  essays, 
and  music.  Light  refreshments  are  served.  This 
gives  the  girls  a  pleasant  evening  together,  and  makes 
them  more  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Church. 
They  recently  gave  a  banquet  to  their  mothers,  which 
was  a  very  enjoyable  affair.2 

Get  the  men  of  the  community  interested.  Some- 
times it  will  take  a  great  deal  of  patience  to  get  the 
men  to  feel  that  the  Church  is  interested  in  them 
and  can  help  them.  In  my  present  pastorate,  we  or- 
ganized a  men's  Bible  class.  It  started  with  an  en- 
rollment of  seventeen,  and  has  an  average  attendance 
of  ten.  When  the  organization  was  completed,  the 
officers  assumed  the  expense  of  serving  refreshments, 
and  a  general  invitation  was  given  to  the  men  of  the 
town  to  be  present.  A  literary  program  was  rendered, 
with  a  debate  on  "The  Woman  Suffrage  Question." 

2  Instructions  as  to  how  to  organize  such  classes  can  be  obtained  from 
Baraca-Philathea  Supply  Co.,  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  or  from  the  Sunday 
School  Boards  of  the  various  denominations. 

206 


A  FACTOR  IN  THE  SOCIAL  LIFE 

Fifty-seven  men  were  present.  After  the  program, 
we  retired  to  the  Sunday  school  room  and  spent  a 
social  hour  over  hot  hamburger  sandwiches  and 
coffee.  That  one  meeting  did  more  for  that  men's 
class  than  anything  else.  The  attendance  in  this 
Sunday  school  class  was  quadrupled,  while  the  total 
attendance  of  the  whole  school  was  doubled.  We 
have  these  men's  meetings  once  a  month,  and  they 
are  purely  social.  The  distinctly  religious  work  is 
done  through  the  regular  Church  channels.  Condi- 
tions here  do  not  make  it  practical  to  organize  a  de- 
nominational brotherhood. 

A  Circulating  Library 

For  ten  years  the  writer  was  near  a  good  uni- 
versity and  a  State  library.  On  removing  a  distance 
from  these,  he  discovered  how  much  they  were 
missed.  We  found  young  men  and  women,  boys  and 
girls,  anxious  to  read.  Many  had  read  nearly  every- 
thing that  came  to  their  hands. 

In  Ohio,  the  State  Library  has  a  circulating  de- 
partment. On  receiving  an  application,  signed  by 
some  of  the  responsible  citizens  of  a  community,  this 
department  will  loan  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  vol- 
umes for  eight  months.  There  is  very  little  expense — 
only  paying  the  freight  on  the  books  to  and  from  the 
library.  By  this  means  the  Church  may  be  made  a 
center  where  the  young  people  may  meet  and  ex- 
change ideas  on  the  books  they  read.  This  also  gives 
the  pastor  an  opportunity  to  direct  the  reading  of 
the  young  people. 

207 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

The  Mission  of  the  Rural  Church 

The  rural  Church  has  a  greater  mission  to-day 
than  ever  before.  She  must  keep  abreast  of  the  times ; 
she  must  stand  for  progress  and  development;  she 
must  fulfill  her  social  obligations  to  society;  she  must 
issue  her  perpetual  protest  against  the  life  that  creeps 
and  crawls;  she  must  continue  to  be  a  place  where 
the  young  find  the  inspiration  of  high  ideals,  where 
the  sorrow-stricken  receive  their  message  of  comfort, 
and  where  the  weary  find  rest. 


208 


CHAPTER  XII 

Boys'  and  Men's  Clubs  in  the  Country 
Church 

BY  REV.  C.  M.  MCDONNELL,  A.  B.  (Omo  WES- 
LEYAN),  S.  T.  B.  (BOSTON), 

Pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Middlefield,  Ohio. 

1.    The  Problem 

IT  is  necessary  first  to  state  the  problem  before 
us.  W  e  are  concerned  chiefly  with  the  country  Church 
and  its  relation  to  the  community. 
The  farmer  demands  a  broader  and 
more    effective    service    from    the 
Church.    The  Church,  in  turn,  asks 
more  loyal  support  and  co-opera- 
tion from  the  farmer.     The  ideal 
placed   before   the   Church   by  its 
Founder    is    ministry    to    human 
needs.      "I   came  not  to  be  min- 
istered unto,  but  to  minister,"  are 
REV.  MR.  MCCONNELL     the  words  of  Christ.     Before  the 
Church  can  meet  this  ideal  and  render  effective  serv- 
ice, it  must  be  ministered  to.    We  must  have  strong 
Churches  in  the  country  before  we  can  expect  them 
to  meet   the  ever-increasing  needs  of  men.     Many 
14  209 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

well-meaning  farmers  have  neglected  their  duty  to 
the  Church.  As  a  result,  the  women  have  too  often 
had  to  support  the  Church  and  do  the  work  of  men. 
The  problem  before  us  is,  then,  twofold:  First,  the 
farmer  and  his  son  must  help  strengthen  the  Church 
by  ministering  to  it;  and  second,  the  Church,  in  turn, 


A  RURAL  FORUM 

must  more  efficiently  meet  the  needs  of  men  and 
better  serve  the  community. 

Many  rural  Churches  are  solving  this  difficult 
problem  by  appealing  to  the  social  instincts  of  men 
and  boys.  A  normal  person  craves  companionship. 
There  are  some  nature-lovers  who  find  trees  and  rocks 

210 


BOYS'  AND  MEN'S  CLUBS 

and  babbling  brooks  more  congenial  than  their  fellow- 
beings;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  farmer  prefers  the  fellow- 
ship of  folks.  In  seeking  a  gratification  of  his  social 
nature,  the  farmer  is  not  unlike  other  men.  The 
lodge  and  fraternal  order  exist  in  the  country  as  well 
as  in  the  city.  In  various  ways  the  farmer  reveals 
his  social  instinct.  The  country  store  is  a  social  as 


RURAL  SOCIABILITY  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  CHURCH  SERVICES 

well  as  a  commercial  institution.  The  farmers  gather 
at  the  store  to  discuss  community  affairs  and  politics. 
Often  it  is  this  opportunity  for  social  intercourse  that 
proves  more  attractive  and  valuable  than  the  wares 
of  the  country  store-keeper.  Public  sales  are  well 
attended  in  the  country,  and  the  farmers  find  the 
social  value  of  the  occasion  greater  than  the  com- 
mercial value.  The  country  Church  has  been  more 
or  less  of  a  social  center  for  farmers.  After  the  Church 

211 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

service  the  farmers  visit  and  talk  about  their  crops, 
while  the  women  plan  some  enterprise  or  discuss 
their  affairs.  The  club  is  founded  on  the  social 
instinct  common  to  men,  and  through  it  the  country 
Church  can  better  minister  to  this  craving  for  fellow- 
ship. 

The  Loneliness  of  the  Open  Country. — The  country 
offers  too  few  opportunities  for  the  gratification  of 
the  farmer's  social  instinct.  The  telephone,  good 
roads,  rural  free  delivery,  and  other  modern  conven- 
iences have  done  much  to  socialize  the  country. 
The  farm  is  still  isolated,  and  modern  conveniences 
have  not  wholly  destroyed  the  isolation  of  the  open 
country.  The  farmer  uses  the  telephone  for  social 
as  well  as  for  commercial  purposes,  but  the  friendly 
visiting  with  friends  and  neighbors  is  done  at  long 
range.  Modern  farm  machinery  has  replaced  many 
farm  hands,  and  thereby  lessened  the  rural  popula- 
tion. The  corn-husking  machine  has  been  substituted 
for  the  husking-bee,  and  the  grain  binder  has  made 
harvesting  the  work  of  but  a  few  men.  As  a  result, 
the  farmer  depends  less  upon  his  neighbors  and  more 
upon  machinery.  The  fellowship  and  social  inter- 
course which  accompanied  the  harvest  time,  the  barn- 
raising,  and  other  co-operative,  work,  disappears  with 
the  coming  of  modern  methods,  and  isolation  remains. 
The  farmer  feels  the  loneliness  of  his  condition,  and 
the  children  feel  it  even  more  keenly.  We  find  in 
this  isolation  and  lack  of  social  intercourse  among 
farmers  an  open  door*  for  the  country  Church  that 
aims  to  minister  to  human  needs.  The  club  may  be 

212 


BOYS'  AND  MEN'S  CLUBS 

used  as  an  instrument  of  service  through  which  the 
Church  can  meet  the  social  needs  of  the  farmer. 

2.    The  Boys'  Club 

Boys  are  like  grapes  in  their  tendency  to  bunch. 
The  "stem"  is  generally  some  boy  of  strong  will  or 
sinewy  muscle,  who  has  earned  the  right  to  lead. 
Around  this  boy,  whether  in  the  city  or  the  open 
country,  we  find  a  "gang,"  cr  group  of  boys.  The 
"gang"  spirit  is  merely  another  name  for  the  social 
instinct.  It  is,  indeed,  a  rare  specimen  of  boyhood 
that  wanders  off  to  the  swimming-hole  alone  or  fishes 
in  solitude.  Boys  seldom  raid  orchards  or  do  mis- 
chief alone.  There  is  a  time  in  the  life  of  a  boy  when 
he  shuns  saints  and  girls,  and  seeks  his  kind.  His 
chief  interest  is  boys,  and  his  loyalty  to  the  "gang" 
is  a  part  of  his  religion.  The  "gang"  spirit  has  been 
a  fruitful  subject  of  study  for  the  psychologist  and  an 
endless  cause  of  worry  to  distracted  mothers.  Boys 
persist  in  being  boys,  and  the  "gang"  spirit  must  be 
reckoned  with.  Like  a  boy's  will,  we  should  never 
break  it,  but  direct  it  into  proper  channels.  Upon 
this  social  instinct  the  boys'  club  is  based.  Instead 
of  a  "gang,"  with  questionable  leadership  and  mis- 
chievous purpose,  it  is  possible  to  have  a  boys'  club 
rightly  led  and  under  the  direction  of  the  Church. 

If  the  social  spirit  of  boys  forms  the  foundation 
of  a  boys'  club  in  the  country,  the  isolation  of  farm 
life  creates  a  demand  for  it.  Homes  in  the  country 
are  often  far  apart.  At  best,  the  boys  on  the  farms 
have  few  opportunities  for  association.  At  the  dis- 

213 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

trict  school,  the  boys  find  companionship  with  other 
boys,  but  the  Church  offers  little  along  this  line.  He 
is  not  enthusiastic  over  prayer-meetings,  and  the 
Sunday  school  is  not  his  chief  delight.  He  does  not 
often  accompany  his  father  to  the  store  or  public 
sale,  and  it  is  a  rare  day  when  he  meets  with  other 
boys  for  play.  The  social  instinct  of  country  boys  is 
too  often  neglected  by  the  Church,  and  the  club  may 
be  used  to  minister  to  this  instinct  and  destroy  the 
isolation  of  farm  life. 

The  Question  of  Leadership. — With  a  basis  and  a 
demand  for  boys'  clubs  in  the  country,  the  question 
of  leadership  arises.  The  proper  management  and 
direction  of  the  social  or  "gang"  instinct  of  boys  is 
of  vital  importance.  The  natural  leader  of  the  "  gang  " 
may  have  nothing  more  than  fists  cr  muscle.  He 
may  be  unfit  to  lead  in  the  right  direction.  The  group 
of  boys  in  the  country  may  meet  at  the  cross-roads 
and  exchange  vulgar  stories,  or  in  the  country  church 
and  hear  of  the  deeds  of  valcr  performed  by  the 
knights  or  heroes  of  old.  They  may  either  rob  or- 
chards or  enter  into  a  corn-growing  contest.  The 
boys  may  either  read  dime  novels  or  Scott's  tales. 
The  country  Church  can  direct  the  boys  into  the 
right  activities  and  provide  leadership.  A  club-room 
for  boys  in  the  country  church  is  as  necessary  as  an 
auditorium,  and  should  be  furnished  according  to  the 
tastes  of  boys.  If  the  natural  leader  of  the  boys  is 
fit  for  moral  leadership,  he  may  be  utilized  as  a  leader. 
The  leader  may  be  the  pastor,  if  he  has  the  spirit  of 
youth  and  the  qualities  of  leadership.  He  will  have 

214 


BOYS*  AND  MEN'S  CLUBS 

need  of  training  unheard-of  in  theological  schools, 
and  equipment  seldom  found  in  the  Church.  A  base- 
ball suit  and  camping  outfit,  as  well  as  fishing  tackle, 
will  be  found  as  necessary  as  a  frock  coat.  If  other 
leaders  can  be  found,  the  pastor  may  be  excused  from 


THE  MIDDLEFIELD  ATHLETIC  CLUB  BASEBALL  TEAM  AND  ITS  MANAGER, 
REV.  MR.  McCONNELL 


this  work;  but  it  is  the  business  of  the  Church  to 
provide  proper  leadership. 

Opportunities  Open  to  Boy-Club  Activities. — A  boys* 
club  must  have  something  worth  while  to  do.  The 
boys  will  suggest  to  the  apt  and  wide-awake  leader 
a  variety  of  activities.  It  is  not  advisable  to  adopt 
the  plans  found  in  successful  operation  in  the  city. 

215 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Many  ready-made  organizations  may  yield  valuable 
suggestions,  but  few  can  be  used  without  changes  to 
meet  local  conditions.  .  The  games  and  activities 
native  to  the  soil  and  found  in  the  country  are  most 
acceptable  to  country  boys.  Many  of  the  rural  games 
are  more  virile  and  red-blooded  than  the  city  sports. 
Country  boys  fish  and  swim  and  play  baseball  and 
camp;  and  the  country  offers  an  opportunity  near  at 
hand  for  these  activities.  Corn-growing  contests  and 
debates  are  of  interest  to  country  boys,  and  a  reading 
circle  is  of  value.  Some  of  the  old-time  games  and 
social  activities  might  with  profit  be  revived.  The 
spelling-school  and  husking-bee  had  in  them  elements 
of  worth  that  warrant  their  revival.  Along  these 
lines  the  leader  of  the  boys'  club  may  direct  the 
country  boys  and  develop  in  them  a  love  for  the  open 
country  and  a  loyalty  to  the  Church  that  makes 
possible  these  activities. 

The  Church  that  ministers  to  the  social  life  of 
boys  will  become  attractive  to  them.  The  boys  who 
depend  upon  the  Church  for  social  life  are  the  ones 
most  likely  to  depend  on  the  Church  for  spiritual  life. 
The  ministry  will  be  mutual,  and  boys  will  return  the 
service  rendered  by  the  Church.  From  the  boys' 
club  will  come  most  of  the  recruits  for  the  Church  and 
Sunday  school.  It  is  with  no  selfish  purpose  that  the 
Church  ministers  to  boys,  yet  the  future  of  the  coun- 
try Church  depends  upon  them,  and  to  maintain  itself, 
the  youth  must  be  won  by  the  Church.  The  boys 
must  be  approached  along  the  lines  of  their  chief 
interests.  It  may  be  contrary  to  the  desires  of  his 

216 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

spiritual  advisers  that  the  boy's  chief  concern  is  not 
his  soul  ^ut  other  things  are  more  real  to  him.  The 
score  of  tlu  last  ball  game,  the  opening  of  the  chestnut 
burrs,  and  the  boy's  chums  are  the  things  dear  to  the 
heart  of  a  boy.  The  secondary  motives  may  be  util- 
ized, and  in  due  season  the  interest  of  the  boy's  soul 
will  come  to  the  front.  The  main  thing  is  to  bind  the 
boys  to  the  Church  in  their  early  years.  The  cords 
of  companionship  and  the  ministry  to  the  life  of  boys 
are  stronger  than  vows  of  membership  or  parental 
authority. 

The  Highest  Aim  of  Boys'  Club  Work— After  the 
Church  has  done  its  best  to  win  the  boys  to  the  Church 
through  the  club,  there  will  remain  many  who  do  not 
attend  Church  or  in  any  way  strengthen  it.  "The 
field  is  the  world,"  are  the  Master's  words.  The  boy 
lives  his  life  outside  the  walls  of  the  church.  In  the 
Sunday  school  the  Decalogue  is  taught,  but  it  is  either 
applied  or  disregarded  on  the  athletic  field,  at  home, 
and  in  the  affairs  of  boy-life.  As  he  mingles  with 
other  boys  outside  the  Church,  the  boy  who  has 
learned  the  principles  of  right  living  can  point  the 
way  of  life  to  others.  Character  is  contagious,  and  is 
caught  as  well  as  taught.  The  club  teaches  the  boy 
the  answer  to  the  question,  "Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper?"  He  discovers  that  there  are  others  in  the 
world,  and  that  the  will  of  the  majority  is  stronger 
than  the  will  of  one  unruly  boy.  The  aim  of  the 
Church,  as  it  ministers  to  the  boys  through  the  club, 
is  to  call  forth  the  noblest  and  best  in  the  life  of  a  boy, 
and  direct  his  unfolding  life  into  the  proper  channels 

218 


BOYS*  AND  MEN'S  CLUBS 

of  activity.     Anything  short  of  this  is  unworthy  of 
the  Church  and  its  ideal  of  ministry. 

3.   The  Men's  Club 

Men  are  no  less  social  than  boys.  The  lodge  and 
fraternal  order  are  merely  different  names  for  "  gangs." 
The  need  of  social  intercourse  is  as  real  in  the  life  of 
a  man  as  in  the  life  of  a  boy.  As  we  have  before 
stated,  the  basis  of  the  men's  club  is  found  in  the 
social  instinct  common  to  men.  The  isolation  of  the 
farm,  with  its  few  opportunities  of  social  intercourse, 
creates  a  demand  for  the  social  group.  With  this  in 
mind,  we  pass  to  a  further  consideration  of  the  club 
for  men  in  the  country  Church. 

In  the  country  we  find  few  leaders  of  men.  Per- 
haps we  had  better  say  that  we  find  few  followers  in 
the  country.  The  farmer  is  naturally  independent. 
Many  look  with  suspicion  upon  one  who  attempts  to 
lead.  The  personal  element  enters  into  the  problem, 
and  at  close  range  the  farmers  can  estimate  the 
leader  and  call  to  mind  his  past  record.  This  makes 
the  selection  of  a  leader  for  a  club  of  men  difficult 
and  important.  As  in  the  selection  of  a  leader  for 
boys,  a  moral  leader  must  be  found  who  will  lead  in 
the  right  direction.  The  paster  may  lead,  but'  it  is 
far  better  to  place  the  leadership  in  the  hands  of  a 
man  who  has  freer  intercourse  with  men.  Men  are 
apt  to  regard  the  pastor  in  a  professional  attitude  and 
reject  his  leadership.  A  minister  of  tact  and  quali- 
ties of  leadership  can  direct  the  work  of  the  club  along 
the  proper  lines  and,  if  necessary,  assume  the  actual 
leadership.  219 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

The  Various  Fields  of  Service  for  Men's  Clubs, — 
The  field  of  service  before  a  men's  club  is  different 
from  the  opportunities  before  the  boys'  club.  It  is  a 
real  and  lasting  service  to  the  men  of  any  community 
to  meet  together  and  enjoy  the  fellowship  a  club 
affords.  There  is  no  better  place  for  men  to  meet  than 
in  a  club-room  in  a  Christian  Church  equipped  to 
meet  the  social  needs  of  men.  Any  Church  can  well 
afford  a  club-room  that  will  afford  a  meeting  place 
for  men,  and  too  few  country  churches  are  equipped 
for  such  community  service.  The  club  cuts  through 
all  social  distinctions  and  welcomes  men  of  different 
faiths.  Saint  and  sinner,  rich  and  poor,  workingman 
and  employer  may  all  meet  and  learn  to  know  each 
other  better  in  a  Church  that  aims  to  minister  to  the 
social  needs  of  men. 

There  is  a  field  of  educational  work  before  a  club 
of  men.  The  country  does  not  fully  understand  the 
city  and  its  problems.  Too  often  the  city  and  country 
are  antagonistic  to  each  other.  Men  from  the  city 
can  address  the  farmers  on  the  problems  and  life  of 
the  city.  The  vital  and  close  relation  of  city  and 
country  may  be  made  clear,  and  a  better  understand- 
ing brought  about.  The  great  movements  of  human 
betterment  and  reform  are  apt  to  pass  over  the  heads 
of  the  farmers.  Leaders  of  great  reform  movements 
can  be  secured  by  the  men's  club  to  address  the.  men 
on  the  work  they  represent.  Lawyers,  physicians, 
college  presidents,  and  business  men  of  prominence 
may  make  their  work  clear  to  the  farmer.  Topics  of 
wide  and  varied  interest  may  be  discussed,  and  re- 

220 


BOYS'  AND  MEN'S  CLUBS 

ligion  related  to  the  actual  affairs  of  life.  From  this 
there  comes  a  broader  sympathy  and  wider  horizon 
to  those  whose  lot  is  cast  in  village  and  open  country. 
Petty  prejudices  and  narrow  provincialism  vanish  be- 
fore intelligent  interest  in  the  larger  affairs  of  life  and 
the  world  at  large. 

The  local  problems  of  the  community  should 
command  the  attention  of  a  men's  club.  Practical 
and  substantial  aid  may  be  given  by  the  club  in  move- 
ments of  human  and  community  betterment.  Good 
roads  come  only  through  intelligent  and  organized 
effort.  The  Church  should  concern  itself  about  the 
roads  on  earth,  as  well  as  about  the  gold-paved  streets 
of  the  world  to  come.  The  political  ideals  of  many 
rural  sections  are  not  ideal.  The  political  boss  is  not 
unheard  of  in  the.  country.  The  men's  club  need  not 
resort  to  the  tricks  of  the  professional  political  club, 
nor  form  a  new  party.  At  the  same  time  the  club 
may  take  its  stand  on  the  side  of  honest  government 
and  law  enforcement.  Local  school  conditions  and 
oversight  of  play-grounds  and  sanitation  are  fields 
into  which  the  club  may  enter  and  render  a  practical 
benefit  to  the  community.  In  a  word,  the  men's 
club  is  the  hand  of  the  Church,  and  aims  to  put  into 
practical  application  the  principles  taught  by  the 
Church.  In  their  efforts  to  better  the  community  and 
promote  the  ideals  of  highest  value,  the  men  are 
welded  together  in  a  bond  of  fellowship  that  is  lasting. 

The  Final  Result. — Many  men  find  their  way  int  > 
the  Church  through  the  men's  club.  To  some  it  is 
an  introduction  into  the  Church,  and  serves  as  a  re- 

221 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

cruiting  agency  for  the  Church.  Members  of  the 
Church  work  hand  in  hand  with  men  outside  the 
Church  for  the  betterment  of  the  community,  and 
come  to  know  each  other.  The  real  aim  and  ideal  of 
the  Church  are  revealed  and  interpreted  to  men 
through  the  practical  work  of  the  men's  club.  Ques- 
tions of  doctrine  and  creed  are  settled  by  activity 
rather  than  argument,  and  the  Kingdom  of  God 
comes  on  earth  through  better  roads,  better  health, 
better  citizenship,  and  righteous  living,  rather  than 
through  denominational  rivalry  and  doctrinal  dis- 
putes. If  the  men's  club  strengthens  the  country 
Church,  it  has  justified  its  existence  and  proved  its 
worth. 

The  Ultimate  Aim. — The  farmer  is  to-day  face  to 
face  with  serious  and  complex  problems.  Rural  con- 
ditions are  far  from  ideal,  and  the  country  Church 
'can  help  in  the  solution  of  the  farmer's  problems  and 
the  building  of  better  rural  institutions.  If  the  men's 
club  aids  in  the  solution  of  rural  problems,  it  has 
rendered  a  lasting  service  to  humanity.  The  final 
aim  of  the  Church  is  the  answer  to  the  divine  prayer, 
"Thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  The 
Church  that  loses  itself  in  service  to  the  community 
in  the  answering  of  this  prayer  is  the  Church  that  will 
survive  and  warrant  the  support  of  the  sons  of  toil 
who  sow  and  reap  in  the  open  country.  It  is  for  this 
larger  service  and  lasting  good  that  the  club  seeks  to 
fit  the  farmer. 


222 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Recreation  and   the  Rural  Church 

BY  REV.  SILAS  E.  PERSONS, 

Minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Cazenovia,  N.  Y. 

FUN  and  the  Church!  Is  not  this  a  pair  that  is 
unevenly  yoked  together?  What  could  be  further 
apart  than  a  Calvinistic  Church  and 
a  good  time?  Our  New  England 
fathers  who  whipped  the  cider-barrel 
for  working  on  Sunday  never  saw  it 
on  this  fashion.  You  say  that  re- 
ligion was  then  a  serious  business. 
I  admit  that  it  was  serious,  but  too 
serious  to  be  "  business. "  Noble  as 
was  the  Church  of  our  fathers,  its 
mind  and  its  conscience  both  pitched 

REV.  MR.  PERSONS  ,  .    ,  .  .    ., 

to  a  high  key,  it  none  the  less  failed 
to  minister  to  the  whole  man;  and  no  such  Church, 
clinging  however  reverently  to  the  traditions  of  the 
past,  is  grappling  with  the  real  and  living  problems  of 
to-day. 

The  Recreational  Responsibility  of  the  Rural  Church 

It  is  a  part  of  the  holy  mission  of  the  Church  to 
provide  wholesome  recreation  for  its  youth.     This  is 

223 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

especially  true  in  regard  to  the  Church  in  the  open 
country ;  for  there  the  provisions  for  wholesome  recre- 
ation are  few.  Young  people  in  the  country  usually 
go  away  from  home  for  their  amusements,  and  that 
is  always  perilous,  particularly  if  they  go  unaccom- 
panied by  their  seniors  or  parents.  As  a  rule,  during 
the  summer  months  such  recreation  is  sought  on 
Sunday.  For  young  people  to  go  away  from  home 
alone  or  in  groups  in  search  of  pleasure  or  recreation 
on  the  Sabbath  is  to  subject  themselves  to  temp- 
tations against  which  mere  human  nature  is  not  for- 
tified. It  is  not  necessary  to  enumerate  the  dangers 
incident  to  such  a  course.  I  think  we  all  agree  that 
any  kind  of  recreation  in  one's  own  neighborhood, 
where  the  older  people  can  be  present,  is  far  safer 
than  these  periodic  migrations  in  search  of  a  "good 
time."  So  every  community  is  under  most  sacred 
obligations  to  evolve  its  own  sufficient  and  whole- 
some recreations  to  interest  its  own  young  people  and 
satisfy  their  reasonable  cravings  for  innocent  fun.  If 
the  Church,  cheerfully  recognizing  that  play  is  a  part 
of  life,  takes  the  lead  in  providing  recreation,  the 
chances  are  that  the  quality  of  the  recreation  will  be 
quite  as  good  as  it  otherwise  wTould  be,  and  also  that 
the  Church  will  get  a  stronger  hold  upon  the  young 
people  of  the  community.  Neighborhood  recreations 
of  some  sort  are  the  imperative  demand,  and  the 
local  Church  may  well  enlarge  its  ministry  by  fur- 
nishing them. 

The  rural  Church  should  do  this  without  apology, 
and  with  the  assurance  that  it  is  working  inside  its 

224 


RECREATION  AND  THE  RURAL  CHURCH 

own  appointed  mission;  with  the  sure  recognition  of 
the  truth  that  sports  have  ethical  value,  and  that 
they  are  elements  in  the  upbuilding  of  character.  I 
like  to  teach  a  boy  to  have  the  four  indispensable 
virtues  of  good  sportsmanship — nerve,  skill,  courtesy, 
and  fairness.  That  training  ought  to  fit  him  to  play 
fair  in  the  bigger  games  of  life,  in  the  market,  in  the 
arena  of  politics,  in  the  parliaments  of  men,  never 
flinching,  never  losing  temper  or  unbridling  tongue, 
never  playing  false  to  a  competitor,  to  State,  or  to 
God.  The  discipline  of  high-toned,  manly  sport  con- 
stitutes one  of  the  essential  phases  in  the  education 
of  modern  life.  It  is  a  means  of  grace,  and  helps  to 
save  the  soul  from  flabbiness,  from  meanness,  from 
dishonesty.  It  is  worth  while  to  teach  a  boy  to  have 
the  nerve  to  be  a  good  loser,  to  take  defeat  manfully, 
to  show  courtesy  toward  his  opponent,  to  play  with 
generous  fairness  as  well  as  with  winning  skill.  A 
part  of  the  Church's  relation  to  recreation  is  a  teach- 
ing that  involves  the  cultivation  of  manly  sportsman- 
ship that  shall  be  educational,  character-building,  and 
redemptive. 

An  example.  Each  of  the  five  Churches  of  our 
village  formed  a  team  for  a  tournament  in  bowling. 
The  local  newspaper  offered  a  prize,  a  beautiful  ban- 
ner, to  the  winning  team.  It  was  a  long  contest,  ex- 
tending through  three  winter  months.  Long  before 
its  close  excitement  ran  high.  There  was  a  tendency 
toward  "rooting."  In  the  heat  of  the  battle,  the  five 
men  of  one  team  met  and  agreed  that  whatever  the 
result  and  whatever  others  might  do,  theirs  was  to  be 
15  225 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

a  courteous,  manly  play,  giving  every  player  a  chance 
to  do  his  best,  and  then  beating  him  if  they  could. 
To-day  the  banner  is  in  the  room  of  their  Baraca 
class,  and  it  is  worth  a  good  deal  more  to  them  and 
their  fellows  because  it  was  won  with  honor.  The 
Church  serves  the  young  people  when  it  develops  in 
them  the  spirit  of  high-toned,  courteous  sports- 
manship. 

The  Forms  of  Recreation  and  Amusement 

The  kinds  of  play  are  pretty  well  determined  by 
the  young  people  themselves.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
they  will  never  indulge  in  some  of  the  oscillatory 
games  that  their  seniors  once  thought  proper.  It  is 
well  that  the  "fashion  changeth."  I  have  never  sus- 
pected that  it  is  my  appointed  task  as  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  to  dictate  to  the  present  generation  the 
kind  of  harmless  recreation  they  shall  enjoy.  Play 
is  play;  and  time,  place,  and  company  being  proper, 
there  is  little  choice  in  the  kinds  of  it.  Rolling  wooden 
balls  on  the  lawn  and  calling  it  croquet,  and  rolling 
ivory  balls  on  a  table  and  calling  it  pool  or  billiards, 
are  both  in  themselves  equally  innocent  amusements. 
But  whether  a  rural  Church  should  install  a  pool- 
table  in  its  parlors  depends  on  local  conditions.  You 
might  be  giving  a  young  boy  his  first  lesson  in  what 
would  lead  him  to  a  pool-table  in  a  saloon.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  may  be  that  all  of  those  young  fellows 
are  playing  pool  in  places  where  everything  that  is 
fine  and  clean  about  them  will  be  polluted.  I  once  had 
an  experience  with  a  class  of  young  boys  who  were 

226 


RECREATION  AND  THE  RURAL  CHURCH 

in  just  that  danger.  We  had  experienced  some  difficulty 
in  holding  them  in  Sunday  school,  chiefly  because  we 
failed  to  secure  the  proper  teacher  for  them.  In  des- 
peration, I  temporarily  took  the  class.  When  they 
asked  me  to  teach  them  permanently  I  agreed  to  do 
so  on  certain  conditions,  one  of  which  was  that  they 
would  come  to  the  manse  on  Wednesday  night  and 
play  pool,  and  bring  their  .Bibles  for  a  half  hour  of 
Bible  study.  I  not  only  had  no  difficulty  in  holding 
the  boys  in  the  class,  but  I  discovered  that  I  did  not 
need  to  teach  them  any  new  tricks  about  the  game  of 
pool.  I  discovered  also  that  every  one  of  them,  save 
one,  had  learned  pool  in  places  where  he  ought  not 
to  have  been.  These  were  boys  of  the  age  of  fourteen, 
an  exceptionally  fine  lot  of  fellows,  some  of  them 
already  members  of  the  Church.  Either  we,  as 
Churches  and  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations, 
will  take  the  lead  and  furnish  such  righteous  recrea- 
tion as  this  generation  elects  as  its  amusement,  or 
the  saloons  and  gambling-halls  will  do  this  work  for 
us.  Local  conditions,  however,  must  determine  the 
policy  of  each  Church.  Every  man  must  be  his  own 
conscience. 

In  the  purely  open  country  among  our  farmers' 
boys  the  summer  recreation  is  our  national  game  of 
baseball.  Very  often  there  is  no  ground  in  the  neigh- 
borhood where  the  boys  can  play.  The  result  is  that 
the  boys  are  tempted  to  go  away  from  the  com- 
munity for  their  sport,  and,  almost  as  a  rule,  they  do 
so  on  Sunday.  What  could  be  worse?  What  could 
be  more  demoralizing?  Every  country  neighborhood 

227 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

blessed  with  nine  or  more  boys  ought  to  provide  itself 
with  a  ball-ground,  and  the  Church  and  the  whole 
community  ought  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  it,  keep 
it  in  order,  witness  its  games,  and  hurrah  for  its  own 
boys.  If  the  Church  will  also  add  a  tennis  court,  so 
that  the  girls  as  well  as  the  boys  may  play  a  game  of 
refinement  and  of  recreation,  it  will  add  to  its  religious 
efficiency. 


A  COMMUNITY  TENNIS  COURT  AT  A  RURAL  PARSONAGE 


There  is  another  and  larger  means  of  recreation 
which  the  Church  in  the  village  or  open  country  may 
well  foster.  This  is  a  kind  of  field-day  for  the  whole 
countryside — a  revival  of  the  old  Olympic  games  and 
festivities — a  day  of  out-of-door  sports:  picnic,  shoot- 
ing-match, ball  game,  running  match,  and  a  popular 
address  on  some  phase  of  agriculture  or  rural  social 
life.  Such  a  gathering  insures  that  for  one  day  in 

228 


RECREATION  AND  THE  RURAL  CHURCH 

midsummer  the  whole  conntryside  shall  forget  its 
cares,  ignore  its  work,  disdain  even  its  sterner  duties 
of  life,  as  it  unharnesses  its  youthful  spirit,  and  out 
in  God's  fields  takes  a  merry-making,  a  day  of  diver- 
sion and  fellowship,  of  fun  and  laughter.  It  helps  to 
create  the  community  spirit,  and  may  lead  to  more 
ambitious  undertakings — a  local  fair  or  a  course  of 
lectures  in  the  interests  of  agriculture  and  rural 
betterment. 

The  Monotony  of  Winter  on  the  Farm 

But  the  winter,  the  tedious  winter  on  the  farm! 
Its  nights  so  long  and  cold  and  dark,  so  different 
from  the  light  and  airy  gayeties,  the  theater-goings,  the 
concerts,  the  dances  of  the  city!  What  shall  we  do 
with  them?  How  shall  we  at  once  banish  their  tedi- 
ousness,  fill  them  witn  joy  and  make  them  contribute 
to  the  men talv  and  spiritual  worth  of  boy  and  girl,  of 
father  and  mother?  The  occasional  card  party  and 
dance  break  the  monotony  of  country  life  in  the 
winter.  Our  young  people,  both  of  city  and  country, 
often  engage  in  these  questionable  amusements, 
simply  because  nothing  better  is  provided.  Surely 
the  Church  can  give  to  that  same  life  something  that 
is  better  worth  while — a  literary  society,  with  social 
features;  a  current-topic  club,  meeting  from  house  to 
house;  a  class  in  sociology,  including  the  study  of 
social  conditions  and  needs  of  their  own  community, 
or  a  Bible-study  class,  which  shall  make  its  lessons 
effective  in  the  life  of  to-day.  Whatever  form  our 
recreational  effort  may  take,  we  must  see  to  it  that 

229 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

our  young  people  have  a  reasonably  good  time,  and 
are  genuinely  interested  in  the  local  enterprise. 

More  efficient  than  any  of  these  social  gatherings 
is  the  men's  meeting,  held  in  the  church  or  its  parlors. 
There  never  need  be  a  poor  meeting,  never  an  ordinary 
one;  always  a  big  one,  full  of  good  things,  brimming 
over  with  richness.  Put  into  it  education  and  re- 
ligion, laughter  and  fellowship,  song  and  story.  Let 
it  feed  the  whole  nature.  If  the  educational  features 
consist  of  instruction  in  subjects  of  vital  local  con- 
cern, especially  in  agriculture  and  the  rural  institu- 
tions and  social  activities,  the  interest  of  the  men 
will  be  awakened  at  once.  There  is  no  topic  of  such 
absorbing  interest  at  the  present  time  as  this  of  the 
farm.  A  lecture  on  the  care 'and  tillage  of  the  soil, 
or  how  to  make  the  old  apple-orchard  pay,  or  on  the 
extermination  of  weeds,  or  on  birds,  will  always  draw 
a  crowd  of  men  and  boys,  especially  if  it  is  followed 
by  a  social  repast  and  a  merrymaking. 

Such  gatherings  not  only  banish  some  of  the 
monotony  of  the  winter,  they  make  our  boys  en- 
thusiastic for  farming.  You  know  that  the  brightest 
boys  and  girls  used  to  flee  from  the  farm,  because 
their  minds  and  souls  were  starving  there.  There 
was  little  in  farm  or  neighborhood  to  quicken  their 
enthusiasm,  to  give  them  zest  and  zeal,  little  for  the 
mind  to  study,  little  for  the  soul  to  love;  no  variety, 
no  fascinations,  no  scientific  experiments,  few  relaxa- 
tions in  the  summer,  and  all  relaxation  in  the  winter, 
and  almost  no  absorbing  and  joyous  interests.  It  is 
the  mission  of  the  village  and  rural  Church  to  make 

230 


RECREATION  AND  THE  RURAL  CHURCH 

life  in  the  rural  districts  worth  living — rich  in  mental 
and  spiritual  stimulations.  These  are  the  Church's 
higher  and  larger  duties  toward  recreation — to  give 
to  its  community  something  that  shall  re-create  the 
whole  man,  the  soul  no  less  than  the  muscles,  enrich 
life  on  the  farm,  and  make  it,  as  it  should  be,  a  po- 
tential force  in  the  social  and  spiritual  guidance  for 
its  country  boys  and  girls,  who  are  to  be  the  scientific 
and  successful  farmers  and  farmers'  wives  of  the 
future. 


231 


CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Work  of  Women's  Organizations 
in  the  Rural  Church 

BY  ANNA  B.  TAFT, 

Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life,  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States  of  America,  New  York. 

THE  strongest  element  in  a  weak  country  Church 
is  often  its  women's  organization.  It  may  not  be 
that  the  organization  as  such  is  well 
constructed  or  established.  Many 
times  such  a  backbone  as  a  consti- 
tution is  a  thing  unknown.  But  it 
is  true  that  this  is  a  dependable 
group,  standing  the  stress  and  strain 
and  struggle,  time  and  again  saving 
the  situation.  Like  woman  herself, 
it  is  to  be  depended  upon  in  an 
emergency  and  able  to  tide  over  a 
difficult  or  impossible  situation. 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  a  Type 

The  woman's  society  of  most  vital  concern  in  the 
country  Church  is  that  one  frequently  called  "The 
Ladies'  Aid  Society."  There  are,  to  be  sure,  flourish- 
ing missionary  organizations  in  country  Churches  of 

232 


THE  WORK  OF  WOMEN'S  ORGANIZATIONS 

every  denomination.  In  proportion  to  the  wealth  of 
members,  the  largest  and  most  generous  gifts  come 
into  the  missionary  treasuries  from  the  rural  Church : 
gifts  that  mean  sacrifice  and  self-denial  far  in  excess 
of  the  generous  offerings  from  the  larger  Churches. 
It  is  noti  however,  the  missionary  societies  that  are 
our  chief  interest,  because  they  have  not  the  same 
significance  in  relation  to  community  conditions  as 
has  "The  Ladies'  Aid  Society,"  unless  definite  local 
work  is  done  under  their  auspices.  In  some  cases  the 
missionary  society  is  organized  to  carry  on  all  the 
benevolent  and  social  work  of  the  Church,  and  has 
the  three  distinct  divisions' of  home,  foreign,  and  local 
work.  When  this  is  so,  the  "local  work"  division  is 
that  which  corresponds  to  "The  Ladies'  Aid  Society." 

The  same  type  of  organization  flourishes  under 
many  names.  Sometimes  it  is  "The  Women's  Benev- 
olent Association;"  again,  "The  Women's  Society;" 
but  most  often  it  is  simply  "The  Ladies'  Aid."  By 
whatever  name  it  may  be  called,  this  is  the  band  of 
women  in  the  Church  that  does  things.  It  is  the  or- 
ganization that  frequently  raises  the  money  to  paint 
the  church  and  repair  the  parsonage.  Sometimes  it 
comes  to  the  rescue  of  a  bewildered  Church  treasurer, 
and  hands  over  what  is  lacking  on  the  minister's 
pittance  of  a  salary  at  the  end  of  the  year.  In  its 
quiet  and  unostentatious  way  it  feeds  the  hungry 
and  clothes  the  naked  in  the  community.  It  is  the 
truest  exponent  of  practical  social  service  that  can  be 
found  in  the  country. 

For  example,  in  a  certain  small  village  having  one 
233 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Church,  where  the  minister  is  paid  a  salary  of  $600  a 
year,  one-third  of  that  amount  is  contributed  annually 
by  "The  Ladies'  Aid  Society."  This  money  is  raised 
by  a  multitudinous  array  of  suppers  and  fairs.  These 
have  a  far  larger  value  than  merely  the  raising  of  the 
money.  The  suppers  bring  together  all  the  people 
of  the  community,  many  of  whom  never  enter  the 
church;  and  the  fairs,  however  one  may  question  this 
method  of  Church  support,  at  least  bring  together 
the  women  with  their  sewing  for  months  preceding 
this  small  event  in  social  assembly.  In  spite  of  this 
yearly  drain  upon  their  finances,  this  thrifty  band  of 
women  keep  a  good  balance  on  hand  for  emergencies. 
There  have  been  no  repairs  made  on  church,  chapel, 
or  parsonage  in  the  last  ten  years  that  have  not  been 
paid  for  by  this  women's  organization.  It  has  also  a 
committee  to  look  after  the  poor  of  the  village,  and 
there  is  no  destitute  family  in  that  community,  what- 
ever the  Church  affiliations  or  lack  of  them,  that  it 
has  not  tended  and  cared  for  and  tided  over  many  a 
hard  place  in  its  history.  This  true  and  simple  illus- 
tration is  no  great  exception  to  the  rule.  With  vary- 
ing details,  this  society  is  duplicated  again  and  again 
in  the  country  Churches  throughout  the  land. 

I  have  in  mind  a  union  chapel  that  is  ministered 
to  by  four  pastors  of  different  denominations,  each 
taking  one  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  month.  The 
only  unifying  force  in  that  mixed  chapel  organization 
is  its  women's  society.  This  conducts  not  only  local 
benevolent  work,  but  also  what  little  social  life  there 
is  in  a  destitute  and  unattractive  village. 

234 


THE  WORK  OF  WOMEN'S  ORGANIZATIONS 

To  have  so  large  a  share  in  financing  and  carrying 
on  the  Church  is  not  always  a  good  thing.  It  sug- 
gests too  much  the  woman  as  the  supporter  of  the 
family.  In  many  cases  she  is  doing  the  men's  job, 
and  taking  upon  her  shoulders  a  part  of  the  Church 
responsibilities  that  should  belong  to  the  men.  For 
this  reason  her  self-sacrifice  has  not  always  a  develop- 
ing influence  upon  the  Church.  Yet  the  fact  remains 
that  in  many  places  the  Church  would  go  out  of  ex- 
istence were  it  not  for  this  support. 

It  was  found,  in  surveying  rural  Church  conditions 
in  three  counties  in  Indiana,  that  of  the  Churches 
having  a  resident  pastor,  84  per  cent  have  a  "Ladies' 
Aid  Society."  Such  an  organization  is  found  in  only 
31  per  cent  of  Churches  without  a  resident  pastor. 
Whether  it  is  this  women's  organization  that  makes 
possible  the  supporting  of  a  resident  pastor,  or  whether 
it  is  merely  an  indication  of  a  prosperous  and  efficient 
Church,  it  would  be  hard  to  say;  but  there  is  no  ques- 
tion but  that  the  reflex  influence  of  the  "Ladies'  Aid 
Society"  on  the  rural  Church  is  very  marked. 

Because  of  the  great  importance  of  women's  or- 
ganizations in  the  country  Church,  it  is  a  matter  of 
earnest  consideration  how  they  may  become  more 
efficient  and  what  is  their  best  contribution  in  solving 
the  country  Church  problem. 

The  Women's  Organization  a  Community  Enterprise 

I  would  suggest,  first  of  all  and  most  important, 
that  it  become  a  community  enterprise.  The  group 
making  up  "The  Ladies'  Aid  Society"  is  too  often  a 

235 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

small  club  of  the  righteous.  It  is  comprised  of  the 
saints,  the  thoroughly  worthy,  the  fine  Christian 
women  within  the  fold  of  the  Church.  Although  this 
ministry  may  reach  out  to  the  needy  in  the  locality, 
it  seldom  does  so  in  order  to  bring  those  women  into 
the  organization.  Its  service  is  merely  to  minister  to 
a  temporary  affliction  or  necessity.  Time  after  time 
I  have  found  that  where  a  village  is  surrounded  by  a 
farming  population,  only  a  very  small  proportion  of 
the  membership  of  the  women's  organization  is  drawn 
from  the  farmers'  wives.  Occasionally,  where  a 
mother  has  lived  in  this  locality  for  years  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Church,  she  is  in  this  group;  but  there 
is  an  exclusiveness  that  prevents  the  coming  in  of 
the  poorer  people  who  are  living,  perhaps,  only  tem- 
porarily as  tenants  on  the  farm.  This  is  not  so  true 
where  the  incoming  family  purchases  a  home  and 
expects  to  live  there  permanently.  Because  of  this 
very  distinction  and  the  ignoring  of  the  transient 
element,  there  has  grown  up  in  many  localities  a 
social  caste  which  makes  "The  Ladies'  Aid  Society" 
as  exclusive  in  rural  sections  as  an  aristocratic  women's 
club  in  a  town  or  city. 

There  is  great  possibility  of  democracy  in  women's 
clubs  and  societies.  Common  work  and  common  in- 
terest makes  it  possible  for  all  to  mingle  on  terms  of 
equality.  This  has  been 'proved  time  and  again  in 
many  organizations,  more  often  in  the  larger  towns 
than  in  the  small  hamlets  and  villages,  where  the 
social  lines,  though  fewer,  are  more  marked. 

In  the  same  Church  before  cited  as  an  example, 
236 


THE  WORK  OF  WOMEN'S  ORGANIZATIONS 

there  was  started  a  home  department  of  the  Sunday 
school  to  reach  the  outlying  districts.  This  gained  a 
membership  of  about  thirty  women,  only  one  of  whom 
ever  attended  a  meeting  of  "The  Ladies'  Aid  So- 
ciety," or  had  any  part  in  its  work.  There  is  nothing 
that  brings  a  group  of  people  more  closely  together 
with  greater  sympathy  than  common  work;  and  one 
of  the  best  things  that  the  " Ladies'  Aid  Society"  can 
do  for  the  local  Church  is  to  get  into  its  active  mem- 
bership women  who  have  never  before  had  a  part  in 
such  an  organization,  and  who  have  very  little  in- 
terest in  community  life.  With  the  increase  of  tenant 
farming  and  the  tendency  that  we  are  facing  of  a 
shifting  population,  every  tie  that  can  hold  a  family 
to  a  locality  is  important;  and  few  things  will  help  to 
keep  a  woman  where  she  is  better  than  to  have  her 
family  sympathy  enlarge  itself  to  the  bounds  of  a 
community. 

The  Enlargement  of  the  Field  of  Service 

My  second  suggestion  is  that  the  field  of  service 
of  "The  Ladies'  Aid  Society"  should  be  greatly  en- 
larged. To  have  suppers  and  fairs  to  raise  money  for 
the  Church  may  be  a  good  work ;  to  help  the  needy  in 
a  locality  in  time  of  emergency  is  better;  but  there 
still  exists  a  large  field  of  community  improvement 
rarely,  if  ever,  touched  by  this  social  service  organ  of 
the  local  Church.  In  an  efficient  country  Church — 
that  of  Rev.  Matthew  B.  McNutt,  at  DuPage,  111.— 
the  women's  organization  is  known  as  "The  Woman's 
Missionary  Society,"  and  has  in  its  care  all  of  the 

237 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

activities  of  the  women  in  the  Church.  Once  a 
month  this  society  discusses  some  practical  problem 
of  common  interest  to  the  home.  Such  topics  as 
"The  Care  and  Feeding  of  Children,"  "A  Balanced 
Ration,"  "How  to  Get  Rid  of  the  House-fly,"  and 
similar  ones  are  especially  popular.  Bulletins  are 
secured  from  agricultural  departments,  and  much  help 
is  given  by  the  members  in  a  free  discussion  of  a  com- 
mon problem.  This  same  organization  has  found  it 
of  particular  value  to  hold  all  meetings  at  the  homes 
rather  than  at  the  church.  Living  in  a  farming  ter- 
ritory, with  the  houses  at  some  distance,  an  all-day 
session  is  common,  and  the  men  are  sometimes  invited 
to  the  evening  meal.  Another  interesting  feature  of 
this  same  society  is  what  is  called  "cleaning-up  day," 
when  the  women  gather  at  the  church  and  the  spring 
house-cleaning  for  the  church  and  chapel  is  done  in 
the  form  of  a  "bee,"  with  much  jollification  and  a 
delightful  lightening  of  a  heavy  task. 

A  women's  organization  in  another  Church  has 
under  its  charge  the  question  of  village  improvement, 
beautifying  of  streets,  of  cross-roads,  and  corners. 
By  its  energy,  a  small  remote  village  secured  street 
lights  and  housed  a  public  library.  Much  of  the  work 
done  in  New  England  under  the  name  of  a  Village 
Improvement  Association  was  undertaken  by  this 
band  of  women  as  a  direct  part  of  their  Church  work. 

There  may  well  be  fostered  by  "The  Ladies'  Aid 
Society"  the  study  of  such  practical  subjects  as  rural 
hygiene  and  sanitation.  This  is  an  important  factor 
in  the  health  of  the  country  and  needs  especial  atten- 

238 


THE  WORK  OF  WOMEN'S   ORGANIZATIONS 

tion,  because  of  the  lack  of  adequate  public  boards  to 
look  after  the  health  of  the  community,  the  question 
of  the  disposal  of  sewerage,  proper  ventilation  of 
houses,  and  whatever  public  buildings  the  community 
boasts. 

Another  subject  of  vital  interest  to  the  women  of 
the  community  is  the  question  of  the  school  and  the 
social  and  recreational  life  of  young  people.  Where 
there  is  no  other  organization  promoting  this,  it 
would  be  well  for  this  group  of  mothers  and  advisory 
maiden  aunts  to  take  up  this  important  question  as  a 
part  of  its  work.  In  this  way  the  younger  women 
of  the  community  can  be  brought  into  the  society 
and  find  a  work  much  to  their  taste. 

The  Rural  Problem  a  Unit 

Increasingly,  we  are  realizing  that  the  problem  of 
the  Church  and  of  the  community  is  one,  and  if  the 
women's  organizations  can  be  induced  to  emphasize 
the  needs  of  the  community  as  a  whole  and  to  grapple 
with  this  larger  problem  with  the  intensity  and  suc- 
cess with  which  they  are  swinging  their  part  of  the 
Church  work,  they  will  be  a  very  large  factor  in  the 
solving  of  the  country  Church  problem. 


A  Typical  Rural  Ladies'  Aid  Society 

The  picture  on  the  next  page  is  that  of  one  of  the 
livest  rural  Ladies'  Aid  Societies  in  Ohio.  Nearly  all 
the  women,  both  young  and  old,  in  the  township  are 
either  active  members  or  are  incidentally  associated 
with  the  organization.  Its  meetings  are  community 

239 


THE  WORK  OF  WOMEN'S  ORGANIZATIONS 

affairs,  and  its  activities  interest  the  whole  countryside. 
While  the  membership  of  the  society  is  composed  mostly 
of  the  members  of  a  particular  Church,  yet  any  woman 
wishing  to  help  work  for  the  Church  is  admitted. 

This  particular  society  has  a  very  interesting 
round  of  regular  activities.  Regular  "business" 
meetings  are  held  each  month.  The  " quarterly  tea" 
occurs  four  times  yearly,  and  is  one  of  the  really  big 
events  in  the  social  life  of  the  community.  The 
society  is  divided  into  four  groups,  and  one  of  these 
entertains  the  other  members  of  the  society  at  each 
of  the  quarterly  meetings.  A  high-class  literary 
program,  which  includes  readings,  speaking,  and 
music,  is  always  rendered.  The  literary  program  is 
followed  with  refreshments.  To  defray  the  expenses 
of  these  meetings,  each  member  is  assessed  twenty- 
five  cents  a  year. 

Socials  and  bazaars  are  held  "every  now  and  then." 
Carpet-rags  are  donated  to  the  society  for  making 
rugs  and  carpets ;  and  out  of  old  and  odd  pieces  of 
cloth,  comforts  and  quilts  are  made.  Embroidered 
pillow-cases,  aprons,  and  various  other  fancy  and 
practical  articles  are  given,  all  of  which  are  manu- 
factured in  the  homes  of  the  community. 

Very  practical  means  are  provided  for  the  indus- 
trial education  of  the  younger  members  of  the  society. 
The  entire  organization  will  go  to  any  home  in  the 
community  and  sew  for  one  afternoon  for  fifty  cents, 
and  those  members  who  do  not  attend  this  sewing- 
bee  are  fined  five  cents  each.  The  society  conducts 
sewing-bees  of  its  own  to  make  quiks,  which  are  sold 
16  241 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

at  $5  each,  and  other  articles.  It  knots  comforts  for 
fifty  cents  each,  or,  if  desired,  will  make  the  whole 
comfort. 

The  society  maintains  a  birthday  fund.  Each 
member  is  expected  to  pay  into  this  fund  the  sum  of 
five  cents  on  each  of  her  birthdays.  Surely  this  is  a 
small  sum  to  give  as  a  thank-offering  for  life,  health, 
and  happiness.  A  flower  fund  is  also  maintained,  for 
which  each  member  is  assessed  one  cent  a  month. 
The  money  is  used  to  purchase  flowers  for  the  sick 
and  the  dead  of  the  community. 

The  society  pays  yearly  $50  of  the  preacher's 
salary,  pays  the  janitor  of  the  church,  aids  in  purchas- 
ing new  Church  and  Sunday  school  equipment,  and 
contributes  toward  paying  for  the  insurance  and  in- 
cidental repairs. 

Although  the  regular  activities  of  the  society  are 
numerous,  all  of  which  are  well  adapted  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  social  life  of  the  community,  many 
special  functions  are  held  as  "side  issues."  Last 
summer  the  members  formed  a  ladies'  baseball  team 
and  played  a  team  made  up  of  women  and  girls  from 
two  neighboring  communities.  The  occasion  at  which 
the  game  was  played  was  a  countryside  picnic  given 
by  the  three  rural  Churches  interested  in  the  chief 
amusement.  Taffy-pullings  are  sometimes  given  dur- 
ing the  winter.  All  persons  who  attend  the  pulling 
are  expected  to  bring  a  pound  of  sugar.  To  these 
events  the  men  folks  are  sometimes  invited  to  share 
the  pleasantries. 

The  president  of  the  society  says:  "We  once 
242 


THE  WORK  OF  WOMEN'S  ORGANIZATIONS 

made  a  silk  quilt,  fan  pattern.  Each  member  was 
supposed  to  make  a  block  out  of  silk  or  satin  and 
solicit  names  to  be  put  thereon  at  ten  cents  each. 
These  blocks  were  then  joined  together  and  worked 
in  fancy  stitches.  The  quilt  was  afterwards  sold  at 
auction  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  brought  over  a 
hundred  dollars." 


243 


CHAPTER  XV 
Rural  Sunday  School  Efficiency 

BY  L.  O.  HARTMAN,  PH.  D., 

Superintendent  Department  of  Institutes  and  Intensive  Work,  The 

Board  of  Sunday  Schools  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church,  Chicago. 

THE  welfare  of  the  rural  community  depends 
not  simply  on  material  prosperity,  but  also  upon 
those  real  yet  indefinable .  idealistic 
elements  represented  by  the  home, 
the  school,  and  the  Church.  With- 
out these  elements  there  can  be  no 
permanent  upbuilding  of  country 
life  and  no  real  prosperity,  even  in 
terms  of  material  success.  We  are 
told  that  the  three  most  successful 
classes  of  farmers  are  the  Mormons, 
the  Pennsylvania  Germans,  and  the 

DR.  HARTMAN  .     .  , 

bcotch  Presbyterians;  and  in  each 
case  the  community  life  is  built  around  the  institu- 
tion of  the  Church.  On  the  other  hand,  many  illus- 
trations could  be  given  showing  the  disastrous  effect 
upon  rural  life  brought  on  by  the  decadence  of  do- 
mestic and  religious  ideals.  In  these  cases  the  ele- 
ment of  permanency  perishes  with  the  loss  of  moral 

244 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

and  spiritual  inspirations,  and  we  have  on  hand  the 
temporary  program  of  land  speculations,  renters,  and 
tenants,  all  of  which  spells  ultimate  rural  failure. 
So  the  Church  appears  to  be  vitally  essential  to  the 
highest  and  best  country  life. 

Back  of  the  Church,  and  part  of  it,  is  another  in- 
stitution without  which  the  Church  itself  would  be- 
come weak  and  inefficient.  That  institution  is  the 
Sunday  school.  Its  importance  in  this  respect  is 
made  very  evident  when  we  contemplate  some  well- 
proved  statistics:  95  per  cent  of  the  ministers  came 
directly  from  the  Sunday  school;  likewise,  90  per 
cent  of  the  best  Church -workers ;  while*an  analysis  of 
Church  membership  shows  unmistakably  that  at 
least  85  per  cent  of  them  come  from  this  same  source. 
The  only  denominations  that  have  shown  substantial 
increases  in  membership  during  the  past  decade  have 
been  those  where  the  importance  of  the  Sunday 
school  has  been  strongly  stressed.  More  and  more 
thinking  men  are  declaring  that  the  future  progress 
and  success  of  the  Church  depends  upon  careful  re- 
ligious education;  and  this  is  especially  true  in  the 
country,  where  opportunity  presents  itself  on  every 
hand  for  thorough  religious  education  and  practical 
social  service. 

1.  Obstacles  to  the  Progress  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

Certain  obstacles,  however,  present  themselves  to 
prevent  the  highest  efficiency  in  the  rural  Sunday 
school.  Primarily,  the  country  community  is,  of 
course,  naturally  conservative.  Nowhere  is  this  con- 

245 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

servatism  better  illustrated  than  in  the  conduct  and 
management  of  the  Sunday  school.  Old  ideals  of  re- 
ligious education,  old  methods  of  organization  and 
instruction,  old  systems  of  lessons  all  prevail  in  the 
majority  of  our  rural  Sunday  schools.  The  institu- 
tion seems  to  be  "stuck  in  a  rut."  "We  have  always 
done  it  so-and-so,"  is  the  stock  argument  against 
innovation  of  any  kind;  and  until  this  unreasoning 
conservatism  is  broken  down  for  the  sake  of  better 
methods  and  higher  efficiency,  the  rural  Sunday  school 
can  not  embrace  its  larger  opportunity. 

Another  obstacle  in  the  way  of  progress  lies  in 
the  adoption  of  "penny"  policies.  Cheapness  is 
the  governing  idea  in  too  many  cases  where  there 
is  a  strong  call  for  the  best  in  the  way  of  lesson 
helps,  of  buildings  adapted  to  proper  instruction, 
and  of  the  larger  opportunity  for  community  better- 
ment. 

This  leads  to  the  thought  of  another  obstacle,  the 
narrow  view  of  the  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school. 
For  generations  the  prevalent  idea  of  Sunday  school 
work  was  embraced  in  the  thought  of  a  half  or  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  of  instruction  on  Sunday  by  the 
question-and-answer  method.  *  The  Sunday  school  has 
been  dominated  in  the  past  by  the  thought  that  it 
existed  to  indoctrinate  the  minds  of  its  members. 
The  larger  notion  of  religious  education,  embracing 
not  only  the  interests  of  the  intellectual,  but  also 
those  of  the  volitional,  the  emotional,  the  social,  and 
even  the  physical  lives  of  the  people,  has  been,  for 
the  most  part,  a  foreign  one.  We  need  to  get  rid  of 

246 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

the  narrow  vein  in  favor  of  the  larger  one  if  the  rural 
school  is  really  to  help  the  community. 

Still  another  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  country 
Sunday  school  is  that  of  inefficient  leadership. 

2.    Educational  Efficiency 

Turning  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  oppor- 
tunity lying  before  the  country  Sunday  school  for 
real  helpfulness  to  the  community,  the  first  great  de- 
mand appears  to  be  that  of  a  true  educational  effi- 
ciency. The  public  schools  are  quite  generally  pre- 
vented from  doing  the  real  work  of  religious  education 
in  any  large  or  vital  way.  If  it  is  to  be  done  at  all, 
the  task  must  be  undertaken  by  the  Sunday  school, 
and  inasmuch  as  the  principles  of  both  secular  and 
religious  education  are  at  bottom  one,  the  Sunday 
school  must  be  organized-  for  its  work  as  carefully  as 
are  the  public  schools  for  its  task  of  daily  instruction. 
To  do  this,  the  meaning  of  religious  education  ought 
to  be  well  understood.  It  should  have  to  do  with  the 
enlargement  and  betterment  of  all  life.  If  we  think 
of  it  narrowly,  as  simply  related  to  the  limited  in- 
tellectual apprehension  of  abstract  truth,  then  a  Sun- 
day school  ruled  by  such  a  conception  will  fall  far  short 
of  its  opportunity;  but  if  the  school  be  dominated  by 
the  idea  that,  religious  education  has  to  do  with  the 
careful  training  of  all  the  many  sides  of  life  and  with 
the  preparation  for  real  service  to  men  here  upon 
earth  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  then 
we  shall  have  a  truly  efficient  institution. 

The  first  step  to  the  end  must  be  a  trained  teach- 
247 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

ing  force.  The  unprepared  "volunteer"  teacher  will 
not  do.  Nor  can  any  amount  of  Christian  good- 
intention  or  even  extended  "experience"  make  up 
for  the  lack  of  systematic  training.  The  teacher  ought 
to  be  a  real  Bible  student,  not  simply  an  adept  in  the 
preparation  of  "next  Sunday's  lesson;"  one  who  has 
mastered  the  spirit  of  the  Bible,  who  knows  the  con- 
ditions under  which  it  was  written,  and  the  larger 
purpose  of  the  various  writings.  He  should  be  an 
expert  in  the  study  of  the  developing  minds  under  his 
care;  he  should  know  the  best  methods  of  teaching; 
he  should  be  prepared  to  teach  elsewhere  than  in  the 
class-room,  by  the  methods  of  play,  recreation,  etc., 
between  Sundays.  A  training  class  for  Sunday  school 
teachers  is  a  possibility  in  every  rural  school.  In  a 
little  Indiana  circuit  there  is,  in  one  of  the  Sunday 
schools,  a  training  class  of  four  women.  They  had. 
no  one  to  teach  the  class,  so  they  took  turns  in  teach- 
ing themselves,  and  all  this  under  the  difficult  cir- 
cumstances of  assembling  regularly  in  spite  of  domes- 
tic duties  and  time  crowded  with  the  strenuous  de- 
mands of  farm  life.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
provides  a  series  of  correspondence  courses  especially 
adapted  to  rural  Sunday  school  teachers.1  This  plan 
has  many  obvious  advantages.  Each  teacher  may 
take  his  course  directly,  without  dependence  upon  a 
class  organization ;  he  is  not  required  to  complete  the 
work  in  any  given  time,  but  may  use  his  spare  mo- 
ments in  preparing  the  lessons.  The  whole  course  is 

1  For  literature  on  Correspondence  Courses  write  The  Board  of  Sunday 
Schools,  1018-1024  S.  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 

248 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

conducted  by  mail,  and  a  diploma  is  awarded  upon 
the  completion  of  the  work.  Thousands  of  rural 
teachers  are  to-day  preparing  for  service  through  this 
correspondence  system. 

Lesson  Systems. — It  is  also  important,  if  the 
country  Sunday  school  is  to  be  a  school  in  fact  as 
well  as  in  name,  that  the  lesson  system  utilized 
should  be  one  in  harmony  with  the  best  educational 
principles.  The  prevalent  system  to-day  is  the  one 
known  as  the  "uniform"  system.  It  was  conceived 
and  inaugurated  for  the  purpose  of  systematic  Bible 
study,  and  arranged  so  as  to  complete  the  entire 
Book  in  seven  years.  The  whole  school,  irrespective 
of  age  or  attainment,  is  supposed  to  study"  the  same 
lesson  on  a  given  Sunday.  "One  lesson  for  all,  every- 
body studying  the  same  lesson,"  represents  in  sub- 
stance the  uniform  lesson  system.  It  had,  and  has 
yet,  a  strong  appeal,  but  the  idea  is  largely  an  abstract 
one.  We  seem  to  be  more  concerned,  on  this  plan,  to 
complete  the  study  of  the  Bible  according  to  system 
than  we  are  about  the  religious  education  of  the  child. 
The  beginner  in  the  Sunday  school  has  not  the  ca- 
pacity to  understand,  nor  any  particular  interest  in, 
the  passages  intended  to  explain  and  expound  the  in- 
tricacies of  the  theological  doctrine  of  the  atonement, 
much  as  such  a  theme  might  perhaps  interest  an  adult 
Bible  class.  So,  while  the  uniform  lessons  have  been 
largely  used,  and  many  things  may  be  said  in  their 
favor,  yet  from  the  standpoint  of  the  child's  growing 
mind  we  find  that  they  are  not  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose of  efficient  religious  education.  The  new 

249 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

"graded"  lessons,  however,  are  based  on  the  idea 
that  the  child's  mind  grows,  and  that  it  grows  by 
certain  well-defined  stages,  which  present  particular 
characteristics.  Therefore,  by  the  graded  plan  we 
start  with  the  child  rather  than  with  the  Book,  select- 
ing and  preparing  lessons  out  of  the  Bible  and  from 
other  sources,  such  as  Church  history,  history  of 
missions,  nature  study,  etc.,  which  shall  be  especially 
adapted  to  the  capacity,  interest,  and  stage  of  devel- 
opment of  the  child.  Then  we  have  not  "one  lesson 
for  all,"  but  many  different  lessons  for  the  different 
grades.  Every  rural  school  ought  to  be  thus  care- 
fully graded,  and  some  good  system  of  graded  lessons, 
such  as  the  International,  installed  in  the  interest  of 
real  educational  efficiency. 

Organization. — It  can  be  successfully  demonstrated 
that  the  average  Sunday  school  in  the  country  is  only 
reaching  about  half  its  constituency.  There  are 
literally  hundreds  of  thousands  of  children  in  the 
United  States  untouched  by  Sunday  school  influence. 
For  example,  in  New  England  alone  there  are  800,000' 
children  outside  the  Sunday  schools.  Similar  condi- 
tions prevail  all  over  the  country.  So  the  Sunday 
school  ought  to  enlist  and  influence  a  much  larger 
constituency  than  it  now  does.  If  it  is  to  do  this, 
much  attention  ought  to  be  given  to  organization, 
especially  to  those  departments  designed  to  reach 
those  who  are  quite  generally  untouched  by  Sunday 
school  influence.  The  cradle-roll,  the  home  depart- 
ment, and  the  adult  Bible  class  can  be  made  more 
than  to  double  the  enrollment  of  the  average  rural 

250 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

school;  and  these  departments  will  do  more  to  project 
religious  influence  into  the  home  and  week-day  life 
of  the  community  than  any  amount  of  mere  per- 
functory visitation.  Instance  after  instance  could  be 
cited  where  the  little  babe  whose  name  appeared  on 
a  "cradle-roll"  became  the  means  of  enlisting  parents 
in  Church  attendance,  which  afterwards  led  to  higher 
ideals  in  the  home  and  larger,  richer  life.  Likewise, 
the  home  department  has  linked  many  an  indifferent 
and  careless  soul  to  the  Church  and  has  given  him  a 
larger  conception  of  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  life. 
Every  one  knows  of  the  far-reaching  results  wrought, 
especially  with  men,  through  the  adult  Bible  class 
department.  The  school  proper  should,  of  course, 
also  be  well  organized  by  departments  and  grades,  as 
indicated  above.  Likewise,  classes  of  young  people 
should  be  organized  for  social  and  recreative  pur- 
poses, as  will  be  indicated  later  in  this  chapter. 
Much  also  ought  to  be  made  of  special  days — such  as 
Rally  Day,  Christmas,  Easter,  Children's  Day,  etc. 
For  these  occasions  most  careful  preparation  should 
be  made.  The  community  should  be  thoroughly  en- 
listed, and  an  excellent  program  rendered.  Parents 
and  children  can  then  be  brought  together  in  a  social 
and  religious  atmosphere  whose  influence  will  be  re- 
membered and  felt  for  months  and  even  years  through- 
out the  entire  neighborhood. 

Architecture  and  Equipment. — The  average  rural 
school  sorely  lacks  equipment.  One  room  in  the 
country  church  serves  for  the  preaching  service,  the 
prayer-meeting  service,  the  missionary  meeting,  and 

251 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

the  social  affairs.  The  Sunday  school  must  also  use 
this  one  room.  This  is  a  severe  handicap  to  the  best 
work.  Separateness  is  essential  to  real  teaching, 
especially  if  the  school  be  a  graded  one,  with  the  graded 
lessons  in  use.  We  present  herewith  an  ideal  arrange- 
ment for  a  Sunday  school  building  of  the  modern 
type,  especially  adapted  to  the  needs  of  our  day: 


PL.  /W  Of  QROUHD  ft  OOR 


Of  course  it  is  not  always  possible  to  secure  an 
ideal  Sunday  school  building,  such  as  the  one  indicated 
in  the  sketches  herewith  shown,  but  with  some  modifi- 

252 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

cations,  this  idea  can  be  carried  out.  Where  such  a 
building  is  not  at  all  possible,  a  system  of  curtains 
and  poles  may  be  installed  in  the  country  church, 
and  thus  the  necessary  division  made.  This  plan 

MAIN  AUDITORIUM  OF  THf  CHURCH 


DfA 
'f  i 

••--]•—     •-- 

/N  teg  WE 
/Jr/  "• 

TE  CLASSES 
/s 

•  .1...        .... 

\ 
s_        ...*..       .  •    t 

tt/ify. 


PL  A  N.  Of  MAW  FL  00&- 

has  been  successfully  carried  out  in  many  places,  and 
the  scheme  has  not  interfered  with  other  services,  as 
the  system  can  be  so  arranged  that  the  parts  may  be 
easily  adjusted  and  removed  within  a  short  space  of 

253 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

time.  Blackboards,  tables,  sand-maps,  wall-maps, 
charts,  and  models  will  all  add  to  the  efficiency  of 
religious  education  in  these  days  when  so  much  of 
the  work  is  done  through  the  eye  and  the  hand.  But 


MAIN  AUDITORIUM  Or  THE  CHURCH 


PLAN  OFGALLEPY 


good  equipment,  even  though  it  may  require  a  larger 
expenditure  than  the  school  of  the  old  days  required, 
is  certainly  essential,  if  the  Sunday  school  is  to  do  its 
part  for  the  larger  welfare  of  the  community. 

254 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

3.    Social  Efficiency 

The  first  great  responsibility  of  the  rural  Sunday 
school  to  the  community  is  represented  by  this  matter 
of  careful  organization  and  religious  instruction;  but 


C  -  C  HA  IRS  -  /V<?  ^^ 


, 

p 

VP       " 

i 

1° 

0i©  ^ 
0i©-L 

0 
0 

ll         ^         ll;(l                   I 

: 

F       - 

1:f           ^ 

©m 
0^ 

08^ 
010  L~ 

0 

•n     -     a     -     , 

'•••  —  V  * 

f         /°         I'l1         /°        ' 

0m 
0U 

||  cz 

,0 

0 

1       "       d'l       ••       1 

Tfi/5  Sfc  r/o/yJHOWJ  CUKTA* 

•)RAWN  ANL 


J.     . 


0000  ©000 


I 


/•/v/5  ^rc  TV^A'  SHOWS  cc/xrA/vji 

AR- 


£>£TAIL 


CLASSES 


it  should  not  be  a  religious  instruction  which  is  to 
end  with  the  Sabbath  day  or  the  individual.  It  should 
have  a  larger  outlook  and  purpose.  Too  long  has  the 
narrowly  individualistic  conception  of  religion  domi- 
nated our  thought.  We  have  been  greatly  concerned 

255 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

with  "the  hereafter"  and  with  the  necessary  prepa- 
ration for  this  future  state.  Likewise  we  have 
thought  much  about  our  own  personal  salvation. 
Now  while  there  is  doubtless  a  world  of  truth  in  this 
old  individualism,  and  while  we  ought  never  to  lose 
sight  of  our  own  personal  spiritual  responsibility,  yet 
the  very  progress  of  the  world  is  forcing  Christian 
people  to  the  larger  interpretation  of  the  meaning  of 
the  religious  life.  We  are  seeing  how  interrelated  are 
all  the  interests  of  mankind,  and  how  everything  we 
think  or  do  has  a  bearing  on  the  welfare  of  others. 
The  larger  practical  responsibility  of  the  Christian  to 
the  community  demands  the  consideration  of  all  who 
are  earnestly  striving  to  obey  the  -Master.  So  the 
Sunday  school  has  a  responsibility  larger  than  that 
of  one  day,  larger  also  than  the  needs  of  just  one  side 
of  life.  It  must  become  a  real  ministering  agency,  if 
it  is  to  fulfill  its  true  purpose.  The  modern  tendency 
to  class  organization  is  one  of  the  most  hopeful  indi- 
cations of  the  realization  of  this  social  responsibility. 
The  boys'  and  girls'  clubs  and  the  adult  Bible  class 
organizations  indicate  that  the  Sunday  school  is  to 
become  helpful  in  a  larger  sense  than  ever  before. 
Some  of  the  activities  possible  through  such  class 
organizations  might  be  mentioned.  These  illustra- 
tions will  serve  to  indicate  general  lines  of  service  to 
the  rural  community,  and  will  remind  Sunday  school 
leaders  of  some  of  the  local  possibilities  in  their  own 
neighborhoods. 

Larger  Friendliness. — First  ought  to  be  mentioned 
the  chance  which  presents  itself  to  the  Sunday  school 
17  257 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

to  contribute  to  the  larger  friendliness  of  the  com- 
munity. This  opportunity  was  met  to  quite  a  large 
extent  in  the  old  days.  Just  now,  because  of  the 
stern  competition  of  business  life,  the  multiplied  at- 
tractions, and  the  growth  of  population,  it  has  been 
somewhat  lost  to  our  vision.  The  old-fashioned 
"singing-school,"  "spelling-school,"  "the  husking- 
bee,"  the  "barn-raising" — all  represented  social  gath- 
erings of  immense  community  value.  Some  of  these 
or  similar  gatherings  could  be  resurrected  with  profit. 
Who  does  not  remember  the  debating  club  of  the 
days  gone  by,  and  the  long  hours  of  argument,  with 
its  "Honorable  Judges"  and  its  "Resolved,  that  fire 
is  more  destructive  than  water?"  On  such  occasions 
men  and  women  came  to  know  each  other  intimately, 
and  the  social  instincts  found  wholesome  expression. 
Unfortunately  in.  our  own  day  such  gatherings  are 
passing,  and  such  expression  is  not  so  common  as 
heretofore.  And  yet  the  instinct  still  remains,  and 
nowhere  so  insistent  as  in  adolescent  boys  and  girls. 
So  strong  is  this  craving  for  social  intercourse  that 
it  sometimes  finds  a  way  to  realize  itself  in  the  low 
dance,  or  in  the  gatherings  of  the  saloon  or  the 
street.  Surely  there  is  a  high  call  for  the  Sunday 
school  through  its  organization,  especially  of  the  in- 
termediate department,  to  meet  this  God-given  crav- 
ing, and  make  the  Sunday  school  a  center  for  gather- 
ings that  will  satisfy  and  promote  the  larger  friendli- 
ness of  the  whole  community.  So  can  rural  life  be 
made  more  attractive,  and  the  youth  be  induced  to 
remain  on  the  farm. 

258 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

Recreative  Activities. — It  is  a  ministry  to  the  body 
as  well  as  to  the  soul  that  confronts  the  rural  Sunday 
school.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  separate  body  and 
soul  in  these  days,  when  we  are  learning  how  inti- 
mately the  one  is  bound  up  with  the  other.  The 
Sunday  school  should,  therefore,  have  something  to 
do  in  guiding  the  various  activities  that  refresh  and 
revive  the  body  and  give  new  life  to.  the  mind.  It  is 
remarkable  how  much  even  a  poorly-equipped  gym- 
nasium will  do  to  this  end.  In  a  certain  Sunday 
school  such  a  " gymnasium"  was  provided  for  a  boys' 
club.  It  had  just  a  punching-bag,  and  the  room  pro- 
vided was  only  about  10  x  30  feet,  and  yet  that  little 
room  with  the  punching-bag  kept  twenty  boys  inter- 
ested and  provided  satisfying  recreation  for  them  for 
many  months.  There  are  the  out-door  activities, 
such  as  tennis,  golf,  hockey,  baseball,  swimming, 
hickory-nutting,  and  a  hundred  other  kinds  of  play 
and  recreation.  It  may  seem  a  far  cry  from  all  this 
to  the  Sunday  school,  but  we  are  learning  how  im- 
portant it  is  that  the  child  should  learn  to  play — how 
important  even  for  the  spiritual  side  of  his  life  and 
the  larger  development  of  a  rounded  character.  Some 
State  Legislatures  even  have  taken  up  this  matter  of 
proper  provision  for  the  play-life  of  childhood,  and 
have  enacted  laws  pertaining  to  this  matter. 

The  opportunity  -to  guide  young  life  into  useful 
pursuits  also  presents  itself,  and  these  likewise  may 
very  well  be  classed  as  "recreative  activities,"  for 
such  work  can  be  made  so  attractive  as  truly  to  in- 
spire. Too  frequently  the  farmer  boy  or  girl  has 

259 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

known  only  slavish  drudgery;  too  seldom  has  he 
known  the  real  joy  of  self-expression  and  accomplish- 
ment in  work.  The  sewing-school,  basket-making, 
corn-raising,  garden-growing,  etc.,  represent  some  of 
the  possibilities.  A  Sunday  school  teacher  can  do 
real  teaching  as  he  instructs  each  boy  and  girl  how  to 
co-operate  with  God  in  growing  the  vegetables  in  his 
or  her  own  particular  plot  of  ground. 

Community  Improvements. — The  Sunday  school 
can  become  a  most  important  factor  in  helping  to 
mold  public  sentiment  for  needed  improvements. 
The  adult  Bible  class,  through  its  organization  and 
committees,  is  especially  fitted  to  help  express  the 
will  of  God  for  humanity  in  such  efforts  as  the  con- 
struction of  good  roads,  the  erection  of  public  library 
or  hospital  buildings,  etc.  The  pastor  and  leading 
laymen  of  a  rural  Church  in  Ohio  spent  several  years 
agitating  the  matter  of  better  roads  in  their  county, 
until  at  last  the  people  have  awakened  to  the  need 
and  begin  to  see  what  such  improvement  might  mean. 
Recently  provision  was  made  for  an  expression  of 
sentiment  by  ballot,  and  the  improvement  is  now 
assured.  No  better  service  can  be  done  than  this  of 
helping  to  make  the  country  a  pleasant,  convenient, 
and  healthful  place  in  which  to  live. 

Reform  Movements. — Likewise  the  adult  Bible 
class,  representing  the  moral  conscience  of  the  people, 
ought  to  be  found  active  in  originating  and  carrying 
on  much-needed  reform  movements.  In  a  little  rural 
town  in  Illinois  the  teacher  of  an  adult  Bible  class, 
through  his  organization,  was  instrumental  in  starting 

260 


RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 

an  investigation  of  political  corruption,  which  has 
been  followed  during  the  past  few  years  with  intense 
interest  throughout  the  entire  United  States.  In  a 
small  town  in  Ohio  an  adult  Bible  class  of  one  hundred 
men  changed  the  political  aspect  of  an  entire  com- 
munity, because  the  party  which  had  been  in  power 
for  a  generation  refused  to  throw  off  the  influence  of 
a  corrupt  bossism.  In  many  another  rural  community 
the  adult  classes  of  men  have  fought  victoriously 
against  intemperance,  gambling,  etc. 

Social  Problems. — A  prominent  organized  class  in 
Northern  Ohio  has  given  itself  for  a  number  of  months 
to  the  study  and  practical  solution  of  the  problems 
in  its  own  neighborhood.  This,  too,  is  a  high  type  of 
service.  Let  the  Sunday  school  ascertain  through  its 
class  organization  what  problems  are  affecting  the 
community.  To  this  end  a  careful  social  survey  as  to 
conditions  of  Church  membership,  child  population, 
crime,  poverty,  etc.,  ought  to  be  made,  that  a  first- 
hand understanding  of  the  local  conditions  may  make 
clear  what  remedies  are  required.  The  social  evil, 
for  example,  seems  to  permeate  every  neighborhood. 
It  is  present,  not  only  in  urban  life,  but  in  rural  life 
as  well.  Lack  of  proper  education  in  this  matter  is, 
to  a  large  extent,  responsible  for  its  widespread  prev- 
alence. If  the  Sunday  school  would  earnestly  under- 
take to  carry  on  a  real  campaign  of  education  in  this 
matter,  through  the  parents  and  in  the  school  itself, 
much  might  be  done  to  overcome  false  modesty  and 
criminal  neglect  in  this  respect,  and  at  least  a  partial 
solution  could  be  attained.  The  problem  of  poverty, 

261 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

too,  needs  to  be  studied — not  merely  with  the  idea  of 
some  temporary,  immediate  relief,  but  as  to  its  deeper 
causes  and  the  possibilities  of  permanent  cure. 
Through  the  social  suivey  the  exact  conditions  as  to 
poverty  are  to  be  ascertained.  Then,  through  agita- 
tion, friendliness,  advice,  etc.,  let  a  real  attempt  be 
made  to  remove  the  causes  and  re-establish  self-re- 
spect. In  some  communities  the  immigration  problem 
is  being  solved  by  the  Sunday  school.  One  case  is 
conspicuous.  A  Wisconsin  pastor  in  a  little  village 
found  upon  his  arrival  a  weak,  struggling  Church  in 
the  midst  of  a  community  of  Swiss  immigrants.  He 
comprehended  what  was  needed  after  a  careful  study 
of  the  situation,  and  at  once  began  to  enlist  the  im- 
migrant children.  With  such  success  has  he  done 
this  that  not  only  the  children,  but  also  the  older 
people,  have  been  attracted  to  this  Church.  The  re- 
sult is  that  so  far  as  that  community  is  concerned,  the 
immigration  problem  is  being  solved  through  the 
Sunday  school.  The  children,  and  in  large  measure 
the  adults,  are  being  Americanized  and  Christianized. 
There  are  such  opportunities  as  these,  and  many  also 
of  other  kinds  in  every  community,  which  are  calling 
to-day  to  the  Church  and  Sunday  school. 

The  crux  of  the  rural  problem  is  with  the  young 
life.  Educate,  train,  Christianize — that,  and  the  great 
question  is  more  than  half  solved.  The  Sunday  school 
is  the  important  and  strategic  institution  for  this 
work,  but  unless  the  task  is  undertaken  earnestly, 
and  the  very  best  provision  made  and  the  most  ap- 
proved methods  utilized,  all  efforts  will  fail. 

262 


CHAPTER  XVI 

The  Work  of  the  County  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
in  Building  Rural  Manhood 

BY  B.  R.  RYALL,  A.  B.,  M.  Sc., 

State  Secretary  of  County  Work,  Ohio   Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Columbus. 

THE  maintenance  of  a  strong,  virile  manhood  in 
rural  America  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  future 
welfare  of  our  country.  This  man- 
hood is  threatened.  The  findings  of 
the  recent  Ohio  rural  life  survey  have 
only  added  to  previous  evidence,  and 
show  rural  conditions  to  be  more 
serious  than  even  those  best  in- 
formed have  been  willing  to  admit. 
Despite  the  assertions  of  some  of  our 
city  friends  to  the  contrary,  the 
country  boy  has  been,  and  will  con- 

ETARY  RYALL  Qf    dty 


life.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see,  then,  the  need  of  a 
strong  constructive  program  and  agency  to  build  up 
rural  life.  Such  a  program  is  needed,  in  the  first 
place,  for  rural  life  in  and  of  itself:  in  the  second 
place,  that  the  country  boys  who  go  to  the  city  —  and 
we  must  justly  expect  some  to  go  —  shall  go  with  the 

263 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

right  kind  of  moral  and  physical  fiber  to  stand  up 
under  the  terrific  strain  of  modern  city  life. 

1.   The  Field  of  the  County  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

It  is  in  this  important  and  interesting  work  that 
the  rural  or  county  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion is  engaged.  The  field  consists  of  more  than 
12,000,000  boys  and  young  men  who  are  living  in  the 
open  country  or  in  towns  of  4,000  or  less.  It  includes 
more  than  60  per  cent  of  the  boys  and  young  men  of 
the  nation.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
seeks  to  unite  these  young  men,  for  the  purpose  of 
improving  their  own  conditions  physically,  socially, 
mentally,  economically,  and  spiritually,  and  of  giving 
expression  to  these  improvements  in  community  life. 

In  1872,  in  DuPage  Township,  Will  County, 
Illinois,  Robert  Weidensall,  the  pioneer  and  seer  of 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  work,  organized 
the  first  rural  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
Soon  after  another  was  organized  in  Mason  County, 
Illinois,  under  volunteer  leadership.  These  organi- 
zations did  not  live  long,  but  their  experience  gave 
Weidensall  the  foundation  upon  which  to  build  future 
rural  work.  While  this  organization  has  since  made 
a  steady  growth,  it  was  not  until  1906,  however, 
that  the  International  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation Committee  recognized  it  as  a  regular  depart- 
ment of  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  work. 
Out  of  the  trials  and  testings  of  a  pioneer  work  there 
has  come,  after  thirty-five  years'  experience,  a  now 
rapidly-growing  organization,  which  enlists  in  sixty  - 

264 


THE  WORK  OFVTHE  COUNTY  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

one  counties  two  thousand  and  more  leaders  and 
committeemen,  and  twenty-five  thousand  boys  who 
are  engaged  in  its  activities.  In  a  very  humble  way, 
the  movement  is  glad  to  pass  on  to  others,  co-workers 
in  this  field,  some  of  the  experiences  of  these  thirty- 
five  years. 

The  unit  of  operation  is  the  political  county; 
hence  the  term,  "County  Work."  The  unit  of  organ- 
ization is  a  group  of  business  men  called  the  county 
committee,  who  are  responsible  for  the  extension  of 
the  work  throughout  the  county.  These  men  are 
men  of  large  influence  in  the  county,  capable  either 
of  financing  the  work  themselves,  or  better,  of  com- 
manding the  financial  support  of  others.  They  are 
men  of  such  caliber  that  they  can  sit  at  one  time  as  a 
county  educational  commission,  at  another  as  a  county 
health  commission,  at  another  as  a  committee  under' 
whose  leadership  the  various  religious  denominations 
may  freely  unite  in  community  or  county-wide  move- 
ments; at  other  times  they  may  be  called  on  to  act 
as  a  commission  to  consider  the  juvenile  problems  of 
the  county. 

2.    The  Organization  and  Methods  of  Work 

A  vital  factor  in  the  success  of  this  work  is  the 
county  secretary,  an  expert  retained  by  the  county 
committee  to  act  as  its  executive  agent  on  the  field. 
This  man  must  be  one  of  large  vision  and  broad 
training.  He  must  be  a  man  whose  vision  has  not 
been  seared  by  the  glitter  and  glare  of  the  city;  a 
man  who  loves  the  country  in  and  of  itself.  He  must 

265 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

be  one  who  is  not  afraid  to  break  away,  when  neces- 
sary, from  the  conventional  way  of  doing  things,  even 
though  by  so  doing  he  arouses  the  conservatism  and 
even  bitter  opposition  of  a  certain  class.  He  is,  of 
necessity,  not  a  leader  of  the  masses,  but  a  leader  of 
leaders.  In  no  other  department  of  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  work — I  might  say  of  religious 
work — is  there  so  large  a  proportion  of  college-trained 
men.  Practically  every  man  in  county  work  to-day 
is  a  college  graduate,  many  not  coming  directly  into 
county  work  from  college,  but  from  other  fields,  where 
they  have  previously  met  with  conspicuous  success. 
The  reason  for  the  success  of  the  county  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  can,  in  a  large  measure, 
be  found  in  the  consecration  of  these  men.  Their 
hearts  are  in  the  work.  They  are  not  using  it  as  a 
stepping-stone  to  a  city  field.  Though  they  have  re- 
ceived many  tempting  calls  to  enter  other  work,  few 
care  to  leave. 

Co-operation  is  the  real  program  of  the  county 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  It  does  not  de- 
sire to  work  for  the  strengthening  of  its  own  organiza- 
tion at  the  expense  of  others.  The  county  committee 
receives  its  support  from  the  people,  and  it  regards 
itself  primarily  as  a  servant  of  the  people.  The  sec- 
retaries on  the  field  have  endeavored  in  all  ways  pos- 
sible to  co-operate  with  the  existing  organizations. 
Sometimes  the  secretary  has  co-operated  with  the 
superintendent  of  schools  in  systematizing  and  devel- 
oping the  recreational  and  athletic  life  of  the  school, 
in  some  cases  by  working  up  a  program  of  indoor  and 

266 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

outdoor  games  that  the  teacher  can  use  to  advantage 
during  the  recess  periods.  He  has  worked  with  the 
Granges  and  other  agricultural  societies  in  organizing 
short  practical  schools  for  the  farmers.  As  the  Sunday 
school  superintendent's  right-hand  man,  he  finds 
teachers  for  boys'  classes  in  the  Sunday  school.  The 
county  Sunday  school  secretary  finds  him  a  friendly 
advisor,  too,  in  setting  up  the  county  Sunday  school 
convention.  Through  his  personal  work  many 
fathers  and  mothers  have  been  brought  into  more 
intelligent  relationship  with  their  boys  and  girls.  In 
doing  these  things,  the  secretary  has  been  a  servant 
of  the  people,  and  he  has  accomplished  more  than  he 
could  have  accomplished  had  he  confined  himself  to 
the  narrow  limits  of  an  organization.  Because  of  its 
intradenominational  character,  the  county  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  is  peculiarly  fitted  to 
become  a  unifying  factor  in  the  county.  It  recognizes 
its  opportunity  and  responsibility.  Because  of  this 
characteristic,  there  are  certain  activities  that  .the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  can  undertake 
and  carry  to  a  successful  issue,  which,  undertaken  by 
any  one  denomination  of  the  community,  would  be 
doomed  to  failure,  because  of  sectarian  opposition 
inevitably  aroused. 

3.    Principles  in  Rural  Work 

Out  of  past  experience,  brief  as  it  has  been,  the 
county  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has  come 
to  recognize  certain  established  principles  which  must 
be  considered  in  rural  work. 

268 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  COUNTY  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

1.  The  redemptive  forces  of  a  community  are  the 
local  forces.    This  brings  us  back  directly  to  volunteer 
leadership.     The  problems  of  any  individual  commu- 
nity will  never  be  solved  until  some  local  man  vol- 
unteers to  get  under  the  burden.    To  discover  and  to 
inspire  and  help  this  man,  by  giving  him  the  right 
kind  of  training  and  the  right  vision  of  his  relation 
to  God  and  to  man,  is  the  large  task  of  the  county 
secretary. 

2.  The  country  must  be  guarded  from  the  ener- 
vating paternalism  of  the  city. 

3.  We  must  have  rural  institutions  to  meet  rural 
needs.     A  city  library  will  not  fit  into  rural  condi- 
tions.   We  could  not  transfer  a  city  play-ground  into 
a  rural  community  and  expect  it  to  be  a  success. 
But  there  must  be  developed,  out  of  the  peculiar  recre- 
ational needs  of  the  country,  an  institution  to  meet 
those  peculiar  needs. 

4.  Equipment  is  not  essential,  and  is  generally  a 
serious  stumbling-block  to  successful  boys'  work  in 
the  country.     The  personality  of  leadership  is  the 
all-important  factor. 

5.  There  should  be  a  recognition  of  the  value  of 
country  life  in  and  for  itself. 

6.  The  county  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
recognizes    three    primary    social    groupings    in    the 
country — the    home,    the    school,    and    the    Church. 
Never  has  the  county  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation thought  of  itself  as  a  competitor  of  the  Church, 
but  rather  as  an  auxiliary,  whose  primary  function  is 
to  help  build  up  the  Church  of  Christ, 

269 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

7.  This  work  will  not  be  successful,  save  as  those 
who   enter,    either   as   employed   officers   or   as   vol- 
unteers,   consider   the   work   essentially   a   Christian 
ministry. 

8.  Service,  not  privilege,  is  the  basis  of  mem- 
bership. 

9.  Determined  effort  to  stem  the  cityward  tide. 

10.  A  redirected  educational  system  which  will 
adequately  prepare  for  life  in  the  country. 

11.  Better  health  and  sanitation  in  farm  homes 
and  country  communities. 

12.  Wholesome  recreational  activities  are  needed 
in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

13.  A  more  scientific  method  of  crop  production 
and  farm  administration  is  essential  to  a  greater  sat- 
isfaction in  farm  life. 

14.  Co-operation,  rather  than  competition. 

15.  A  task  for  every  man,  and  a  man  for  every 
task. 

4.   The  Group  Method  of  Organization  and  Activities 

The  boys  throughout  the  country  are  reached  by 
means  of  local  boys'  groups,  which  are  generally  rec- 
ognized as  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
These  groups  are  organized  not  only  in  larger  towns 
and  villages,  where  in  many  cases  we  may  find  several 
groups,  but  also  at  the  country  cross-roads  com- 
munity, or  at  any  place  which  may  be  a  natural 
community  center.  In  this  organization  the  first 
factor  is  the  securing  of  a  local  leader  who  will  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  work  of  that  community.  He  must 

270 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  COUNTY  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

necessarily  be  a  man  of  strong  moral  character,  one 
who  commands  the  respect  of  the  community  and  of 
the  boys,  and  who  is  fully  in  sympathy  with  boy-life. 
This  man  gathers  around  him  a  group  of  boys,  twelve 
to  twenty  in  number,  who  are  drawn  together  by 
mutual  likes  and  dislikes — in  other  words,  a  gang. 
The  "gang  spirit"  will  not  be  so  marked  among  the 
country  %boys  as  among  the  boys  of  the  city  or  large 
village,  but  it  is  there.  As  the  county  secretary  works 
with  leaders,  so  this  local  leader  will  hold  his  boys 
only  as  he  holds  the  leader  of  the  gang.  This  group 
generally  meets  once  a  week  in  some  convenient  place : 
it  may  be  the  schoolhouse,  or  the  town  hall,  or  the 
basement  of  the  church — if  there  be  but  one  church 
in  the  community — or  often  they  meet  at  the  home 
of  one  of  the  members  of  the  group.  At  these  meet- 
ings the  boys  engage  in  various  social,  athletic,  edu- 
cational, and  religious  activities. 

Social  Activities.— Lack  of  social  life  is  recognized 
by  all  students  of  rural  life  as  one  of  the  most  serious 
drawbacks  of  the  country.  A  more  normal  develop- 
ment of  social  life  is  essential.  The  rural  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  its  organized  counties 
has  done  much  along  this  line.  The  boys'  groups, 
with  their  weekly  meetings,  furnish  the  means  of 
social  contact.  In  many  places  the  boys  have  ar- 
ranged community  banquets;  they  have  planned 
many  special  social  evenings  at  the  homes  of  the  vari- 
ous members.  The  girls,  as  well  as  the  boys,  are 
reached  by  these  social  activities.  Through  the  initia- 
tive of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  there 

271 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

has  been  a  revival  of  the  old-time  "spelling-bee"  and 
other  community  social  gatherings.  The  various 
reading  circles  and  study  clubs  have  their  social  values. 

The  direct  responsibility  for  these  activities  must 
not  rest  on  the  county  secretary.  The  full  value  of 
this  work  can  be  realized  only  as  the  local  people 
take  up  the  enterprise,  aided  perhaps  by  the  inspira- 
tion and  suggestion  of  the  secretary.  I  fear  that  too 
often  many  of  our  well-meaning  pastors  and  teachers 
have  worked  injury  where  they  have  intended  to 
help,  because  they  have  done  the  work  themselves, 
thereby  robbing  the  people  of  their  birthrights — initia- 
tive and  responsibility. 

Recreational  and  Athletic  Activities. — Our  farm 
boys  and  girls  work  hard.  They  may  not  need  physical 
exercises,  but  they  do  need  play.  Play  is  the  inherited 
right  of  all  young  life,  and  child-life  will  not  develop 
into  normal  manhood  and  womanhood  without  it. 
Farmers  must  learn  to  work  together.  Practically 
all  recognize  the  truth  of  this,  but  they  must  also 
recognize  that  farmers  will  never  work  together  until 
they  and  their  children  have  learned  to  play  together. 
The  rural  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is 
meeting  this  need  in  its  organized  play-day  festivals 
held  in  connection  with  the  schools,  Sunday  school 
picnics,  township  picnics,  or  in  connection  with  the 
county  fair.  In  many  places  the  county  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  has  been  instrumental  in 
cleaning  up  the  objectionable  features  of  the  fair. 
Thousands  of  people,  old  and  young,  have  joined  in 
these  county  fair  play  festivals;  they  forget  for  a 

272 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  COUNTY  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

while  the  cares  of  the  farm  and  become  young  again. 
The  boys'  groups  furjiish  opportunity  for  many  group 
games,  calisthenics,  and  athletics.  Practically  every 
county  has  its  annual  track  meet,  with  from  eighty 
to  three  hundred  boys  participating  in  each  county. 
Clean  baseball  is  also  promoted,  putting  emphasis  on 
the  Saturday  afternoon  games,  thus  eliminating  to 
vsome  extent  the  demand  for  the  Sunday  game.  "  Play 
baseball  for  sport,  to  win  if  you  can,  but  play  square 
and  clean,"  is  the  slogan  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association.  All  of  the  county  organizations  con- 
duct summer  camps,  where  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
or  more  country  boys  spend  ten  days  in  the  happiest 
fellowship  of  their  lives.  These  days  mean  much  in 
the  formation  of  Christian  character. 

Educational  Activities. — Our  children  need  supple- 
mental educational  work.  The  schools  have  become 
more  or  less  mechanical.  /  They  are  often  divorced 
from  life ;  their  method  of  study  is  not  always  nature's 
method.  The  boys  in  the  groups  join  in  debates,  give 
reports  of  current  topics  and  of  books  they  have  read. 
They  listen  to  interesting  talks  on  nature,  such  as 
"Nature's  Methods  for  the  Distribution  of  Seeds," 
"The  Interesting  Characteristics  of  Our  Native  Birds 
and  Their  Calls,"  etc.  They  engage  in  hundreds  of 
different  educational  activities  which  interest  and 
hold  the  boy,  because  they  vitally  connect  him  with 
life  roundabout.  There  are  other  features  of  educa- 
tional work  more  especially  applicable  to  the  com- 
munity as  a  whole,  such  as  practical,  short-period 
schools  for  the  farmer,  educational  campaigns  along 
18  273 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

the  lines  of  personal  hygiene,  reading  courses  and 
clubs,  agricultural  contests,  in  which  the  boys  and 
girls  compete  with  each  other  in  the  growing  of  corn, 
onions,  potatoes,  poultry,  etc.  In  one  county,  with 
a  population  of  only  two  thousand,  there  were  three 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  children  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural contests  during  one  season.  Then  again, 
there  is  the  opportunity  for  boys  to  take  part  in  the 
competitive  judging  of  stock,  corn  and  small  grains, 
etc.  All  this  work  is  intensely  vital,  and  will  have  a 
large  part  in  keeping  the  boy  and  the  girl  on  the 
farm. 

The  county  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
in  co-operation  with  the  schools,  has  conducted  very 
successful  educational  campaigns  along  the  line  of 
personal  hygiene.  The  care  of  the  body,  the  effects 
of  alcoholic  stimulants,  and  personal  sex  hygiene  has 
been  the  line  of  subjects  considered.  These  cam- 
paigns have  met  with  the  unanimous  approval  of  the 
people.  There  have  been  other  educational  campaigns 
conducted  along  the  lines  of  community  sanitation, 
the  beautifying  of  school  grounds  and  of  home 
grounds. 

Let  us  reiterate  the  principle  upon  which  this  work 
is  conducted.  The  county  secretary  does  not  attempt 
to  do  this  work  himself,  but  enlists  the  co-operation 
of  other  men  of  the  community,  or  even  sometimes 
outside  of  the  community,  who  are  qualified  to  do  the 
special  piece  of  work  he  has  in  mind.  This  is  working 
out  the  very  essential  principle,  "A  task  for  every 
man,  and  a  man  for  every  ta§k," 

274 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

Religious  Work. — The  religious  work  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  is  the  primary  work. 
It  regards  the  social,  physical,  and  educational  work 
as  essential  only  as  they  create  right  conditions  for 
the  fullest  development  of  the  spiritual.  Every  one 
of  the  six  hundred  organized  boys'  groups  is  following 
definite  courses  of  Bible  study.  Recruited  from  these 
groups  are  the  young  men  who  go  back  into  the 
Sunday  school  as  Bible  class  teachers.  It  is  a  virile 
type  of  Bible  study,  in  which  the  leader  projects 
himself  in  personal  work.  There  are  but  few  boys 
who,  if  approached  with  a  boy's  religion,  will  not  ac- 
cept it.  Other  features  of  the  religious  work  are 
special  Sunday  afternoon  meetings  for  men;  and  at 
other  times  special  meetings  for  boys.  Many  men 
will  attend  these  meetings  who  never  come  to  any 
other.  The  county  and  State  boys'  conferences  are 
great  factors  in  giving  the  boys  a  new  and  higher 
conception  of  Christian  manhood,  and  many  have  ac- 
cepted the  challenge  of  such  a  manhood.  One  of  the 
largest  factors  in  this,  as  in  other  fields  of  religious 
work,  is  the  quiet,  personal  evangelism  of  the  sec- 
retary and  the  volunteer  workers.  The  co-operation 
of  the  county  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
with  the  Sunday  schools  is  also  to  be  considered  under 
religious  work.  In  many  counties  the  secretaries  have 
been  of  vital  help  in  adding  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
Sunday  school  convention.  One  county  secretary 
suggested,  and  successfully  carried  through,  a  men's 
banquet  and  evening  program  in  connection  with 
such  a  convention.  More  than  one  hundred  and 

276 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  COUNTY  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

fifty  men  were  present.  This  was  accomplished  in 
the  face  of  many  discouragements.  The  secretary 
in  many  places  has  been  of  help  in  conducting  train- 
ing conferences  for  leaders  of  boys'  classes. 

The  work  of  the  various  county  organizations  has 
the  advantage  of  the  co-operation  and  help  of  both 
the  State  and  the  international  committees.  These 
committees  are  of  help  to  the  county  secretary  in 
formulating  his  plans.  They  are  free  to  come  in  and 
help  the  secretary  whenever  he  requests.  They  are 
also  of  help  to  the  county  committee  at  the  time  of 
secretarial  changes.  The  large  task  of  the  State  and 
international  committee,  however,  is  the  extension  of 
work  into  unorganized  counties  and  States. 

The  first  step  to  be  taken  by  those  interested  in 
organizing  a  movement  of  this  character  in  their  own 
community  is  to  secure  the  interest  and  co-operation 
of  the  best  men  of  the  county.  These  men  may  con- 
stitute a  temporary  organization  committee,  and 
should  have  as  their  chairman  the  best  man  avail- 
able. He  should  be  a  man  of  large  influence,  good 
business  judgment,  and  of  the  right  Christian 
character.  Those  undertaking  this  organization 
should  get  in  touch  with  the  county  work  depart- 
ment of  the  State  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation Committee,  that  they  may  profit  by  its 
experience. 

We  have  outlined  a  large  program.  While  we 
have  not  gone  into  much. detail  as  to  the  actual  work 
of  the  rural  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  yet 
enough  has  been  mentioned  to  give  a  general  outline 

277 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

of  its  scope  and  effectiveness.  This  work  will  succeed 
in  any  county  where  the  people  will  'give  their  co- 
operation. There  must  be  the  local  man,  who  will 
give  of  his  time  because  he  loves  boys,  his  com- 
munity, and  his  God. 


278 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Young  Woman's    Christian  Asso- 
ciation as  a  Builder  of    Rural 
Womanhood 

BY  Miss  JESSIE  FIELD, 

National  Secretary  for  Small  Town  and  Country  Work,  National 
Board  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  of  the  U.  S.  A.,  New  York  City. 

THE  Young  Women's   Christian  Association  has 
as  its  ideal  the  development  of  all  young  women  in 
'  spirit,   mind,   and  body.     So  it  is 
but  natural  that  it  should,  in  1908, 
decide    to    reach    out   beyond    the 
limits  of  the  qities,   the  factories, 
and  the  college  halls  to  the  thou- 
sands of  young  women  living  in  the 
small  towns  and  the  open  country. 

1.    The  Organization  of  the  County 
Y.  W.  C.  A. 

The  county  is  taken  as  the  unit 
MISS  FIELD  of   organization,    since   it   offers   a 

natural  civil  and  community  division,  and  has  a  large 
enough  area  to  make  a  basis  for  financial  support. 
The  executive  head  of  the  work  is  the  county  sec- 
retary, back  of  whom  is  the  county  Board  of  Direc- 

279 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

tors,  made  up  of  representative  Christian  women 
from  different  parts  of  the  county.  Wherever  there 
is  a  community  center  of  sufficient  strength  and  local 
leadership  to  form  an  association  of  twenty-five  young 
women,  a  branch  organization  is  formed.  This  branch 
may  be  in  a  town  or  out  in  the  open  country. 

The  young  woman  in  the  country  has  many  ele- 
ments of  great  strength.  She  is  blessed  in  having 
freedom,  a  wholesome  and  sane  life,  and  a  knowledge 
of  happy  work.  Improved  country  life  conditions 
have  brought  to  her  many  splendid  things  from  the 
outside  world.  The  rural  free  delivery  brings  the 
daily  paper  and  good  magazines.  Better  roads,  the 
automobile,  and  the  interurban  and  trolley  lines  help 
her  easily  to  reach  the  town  and  city,  while  modern 
conveniences  and  better  prices  for  crops  have  made 
the  old  home  a  happy  and  profitable  place  to  live. 

2.    Methods  of  Carrying  on  the  Work 

The  country  girl  has  wonderful  possibilities  for 
growing  into  the  most  complete  and  helpful  woman- 
hood. It  is  to  help  her  in  reaching  these  possibilities 
that  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  has 
organized  its  country  and  small  town  work.  It  is 
the  purpose  of  this  organization  to  work  with  and 
help  strengthen  and  increase  the  results  of  every  or- 
ganization that  has  for  its  purpose  the  development 
of  life  in  the  open  country.  The  Grange,  the  farmers' 
institute,  the  extension  departments  of  the  State 
colleges  of  agriculture,  the  United  States  Department 
of  Agriculture,  short-course  organizations,  domestic 

280 


THE  Y.  W.  C.  A. 

science  clubs,  and,  above  all,  the  country  Church, 
furnish  the  organizations  through  which  and  with 
which  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association 
works  in  uplifting  and  helping  the  young  women  of 
the  country. 

There  are  no  association  buildings,  as  in  the  city, 
for  it .  has  been  found  that  the  homes  of  the  com- 
munity and  the  schoolhouses  and  churches  can  well 
accommodate  the  meetings,  and  so  there  is  an  added 
usefulness  given  to  these  established  parts  of  the 
community.  There  are  many  definite  lines  of  work 
undertaken  to  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the  work  of 
country  girls,  to  the  happiness  of  their  play  and  social 
intercourse,  to  the  strength  and  health  of  their  bodies, 
and  to  the  vital  consecration  of  their  lives  to  the 
service  of  Christ. 

Working  through  the  country  schools,  the  county 
secretary  helps  the  country  teachers  to  plan  for 
simple  lessons  in  sewing  and  cooking  and  personal 
hygiene,  which  can  be  taught  to  the  girls  in  her 
school  or  to  a  club  of  girls  taking  in  all  the  girls  of  the 
school  district.  Many  schools  have  planned,  too,  for 
serving  simple  warm  lunches  at  noon,  with  soup  or 
cocoa,  and  so  the  girls  learn  simple  lessons  in  home- 
making,  which  will  help  them  throughout  life.  In 
sewing  they  learn  to  patch  and  darn  and  do  just  the 
simple,  homely  tasks  in  the  right  way. 

The  idea  of  making  the  country  school  the  social 
center  of  the  community  has  been  strengthened. 
Corn  shows  and  exhibits  of  sewing  and  cooking  of  the 
girls  of  the  neighborhood  are  made  at  the  schools, 

281 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

the  parents  being  invited  in  and  the  girls  serving  re- 
freshments, which  they  have  prepared  themselves. 
The  program  is  planned  to  be  of  special  interest  to 
country  people.  In  all  this  the  county  secretary  is  of 
help  in  giving  suggestions  and  helping  put  the  teacher 
in  touch  with  efforts  along  these  lines  that  are  meet- 
ing with  success  in  other  places. 


CORN  SUNDAY 


Exhibits  of  model  kitchens,  handy  devices  for 
lightening  labor  at  home,  cooking,  and  sewing  are 
made  at  the  farmers'  institute  or  the  county  fair. 
Potato-growing  contests  are  held.  Butter  and  bread- 
making  contests  and  the  judging  of  these  foods  has 
been  made  a  part  of  the  county  work.  Often  the 
girls  doing  the  best  work  along  these  lines  are  sent  to 

282 


THE  Y.  W.  C.  A. 

the  short  course  of  home  economics  at  the  State 
College  of  Agriculture. 

In  co-operation  with  country  Churches,  "corn 
Sundays  and  Mondays"  have  been  held,  where  the 
farmers  and  their  wives  and  sons  and  daughters  have 
brought  in  the  best  things  they  have  grown  or  made. 
The  exhibits  are  made  in  the  church  on  Sunday.  It  is 
altogether  befitting  that  the  products  of  the  farm 
should  be  displayed  in  the  house  of  God,  in  gratitude 
for  a  bountiful  harvest.  No  live  minister  will  lose 
the  opportunity  to  emphasize  spiritual  lessons  at 
this  occasion.  The  practice  is  at  once  a  recognition 
of  Divine  Providence  and  a  dedication  of  husbandry, 
which  may  lead  to  the  consecration  of  the  husband- 
man. On  Monday  teachers  come  from  the  extension 
department  of  the  State  College  of  Agriculture  to 
judge  the  exhibits,  and  a  basket-dinner  and  a  general 
good  social  time  are  held,  and  some  hours  of  definite 
instruction  on  things  coming  very  close  to  country 
life  efficiency  are  spent. 

Summer  camps  have  been  organized  and  most 
successfully  carried  out  for  the  young  women  of  the 
country  in  connection  with  the  county  Chautauqua 
Associations.  Bible  study,  practical  talks  on  subjects 
of  interest  to  girls,  lessons  in  cooking  and  sewing,  and 
first  aid  to  the  injured  are  a  part  of  the  camp  work. 
The  afternoons  are  devoted  to  having  a  good  time 
with  games  of  tennis,  volley  ball,  basket  ball,  and 
informal  visiting.  The  campers  are  allowed  also  to 
attend  the  lectures  at  the  Chautauqua.  This  means 
not  only  learning  more  about  how  to  do  useful  things, 

283 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

but  the  creating  of  a  spirit  of  fellowship  and  good- 
will with  girls  from  all  over  the  county,  that  brings  a 
broader  vision  of  life  to  the  country  girl,  whose  life 
in  many  cases  is  isolated. 

Bible  study  and  mission  study  classes  are  organ- 
ized, taking  in  all  the  young  people  of  the  com- 
munity. Courses  of  study  of  special  interest  to  the 
community  are  followed,  and  at  the  close  of  each 
lesson  some  short  feature  of  interest  to  the  young 
people  of  the  country  is  given,  and  then  a  social  time 
together  is  enjoyed. 

Since  the  county  is  so  large  that  the  county  sec- 
retary can  not  lead  all  the  groups,  there  is  constantly 
a  direct  demand  for  local  leaders.  This  helps  to  de- 
velop one  of  the  greatest  needs  of  our  rural  commu- 
nities— trained  leadership.  Many  a  country  young 
woman  has  found  that  she  could  do  things  for  others, 
because  of  the  responsibility  placed  on  her  in  the 
work  of  the  Association.  As  these  young  women  of 
all  Church  denominations  come  together  in  Bible 
study  or  in  the  right  kind  of  a  good  time,  the  narrow 
boundaries  that  sometimes  hedge  around  the  lives  of 
the  young  people  in  the  country  disappear,  and  a  joy 
in  the  service  of  others  takes  its  place. 

Through  all  the  work  of  the  Association  the 
beauty  and  possibilities  of  the  Christian  home  in  the 
country,  built  on  a  modern  plan,  with  all  the  latest 
conveniences  for  lightening  labor,  surrounded  by  a 
well-kept  lawn  with  flowers  and  vines  growing  on  it, 
is  brought  in  a  very  real  way  to  the  girl.  She  learns 
to  truly  love  the  open  country,  and  can  help  the  young 

284 


COUNTRY  GIRLS'  SUMMER  CAMP  VILLAGE 


COUNTRY  CAMP  GIRLS  OUT  ON  A  FROLIC 


COUNTRY  CAMP  GIRLS  RECEIVING  INSTRUCTION  IN  DOMESTIC 
SCIENCE 


SOLVING  THE  COUNTRY  CHURCH  PROBLEM 

man  who  has  learned  to  grow  more  corn  and  better 
stock  to  spend  wisely  the  increased  earnings  from 
his  farm,  to  the  end  that  there  may  be  better  schools, 
homes,  Churches,  and  communities  in  which  boys  and 
girls  may  grow  up  who  will  represent  the  highest  type 
of  American  citizenship. 


286 


Appendix  A 


A  SELECT   BIBLIOGRAPHY   ON   THE 
COUNTRY  CHURCH 

Ashenhurst,  J.  O.:  "The  Day  of  the  Country  Church,"  pp.  208, 
1910.  Funk  and  Wagnalls  Company,  New  York. 

Beard,  Augustus  Field:  "The  Story  of  John  Frederick  Oberlin," 
pp.  196,  1909.  The  Pilgrim  Press,  Boston. 

Butterfield,  Kenyon  L.:  "The  Country  Church  and  the  Rural 
Problem,"  pp.  153,  1911.  The  University  of  Chicago  Press, 
Chicago. 

Gill,  Otis  C.,  and  Pinchot,  Gifford:  "The  Country  Church," 
pp.  12  +  222,  1913.  The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York. 

Hay  ward,  Charles  E.:  "Institutional  Work  of  the  Country 
Church,"  pp.  149,  1900.  Free  Press  Association,  Bur- 
lington, Vt. 

Israel,  Henry:  "The  Country  Church  and  Community  Co- 
operation," pp.  165,  1913.  Association  Press,  New  York. 

Miller,  George  A.:  "Problems  of  the  Town  Church,"  pp.  201, 
1902.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  Chicago. 

Roads,  Charles:  "Rural  Christendom,"  pp.  322,  1910.  Ameri- 
can Sunday  School  Union,  Philadelphia. 

Tipple,  E.  S..  "Some  Famous  Country  Parishes,"  1911.  Eaton 
and  Mains,  New  York. 

Wilson,  Warren  H.:  "The  Church  of  the  Open  Country,"  pp. 
226,  1911.  Missionary  Education  Movement  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  New  York. 

"The  Annals  of  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social 
Science,"  for  March,  1912,  contains  articles  of  the  Country 
Church  and  many  other  rural  problems. 
287 


APPENDIX 
RURAL  MAGAZINES 

The  following  rural  magazines  are  recommended  to  those 
who  desire  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  progress  of  the  Rural  Move- 
ment, including  the  Country  Church: 

THE  RURAL  EDUCATOR,  a  National  Monthly  Magazine, 
Devoted  to  the  Promotion  of  Rural  and  Agricultural  Education 
for  Teachers,  Preachers,  Rural  Leaders,  and  Progressive  Farmers. 
Published  from  The  Ohio  State  University,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

RURAL  MANHOOD,  Devoted  to  the  Country  Work  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  Village,  Town,  and 
Country.  Published  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions, 124  East  Twenty-eighth  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


288 


Appendix  B 


HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  REPORT  OF 
THE  LAWRENCE  CIRCUIT  FOR  1913 

Compiled  by  REV.  ALBERT  Z.  MANN,  A.  M., 

Pastor  of  the  Lawrence  (Ind.)  Circuit. 

Editor's  Note. — The  problem  of  every  rural  minister  is  to 
know  his  field — not  in  general  terms,  but  specifically.  To  this 
end,  a  community  survey  is  necessary. 
The  data  thus  secured  must  then  be  system- 
atized, tabulated,  and  correlated.  Only 
then  does  it  furnish  a  safe  guide  for  future 
activities.  Inability  to  use  the  data  when 
once  secured  may  prove  to  be  a  very  seri- 
ous misfortune  to  a  community.  In  order 
to  show  the  proper  method  of  procedure 
in  building  up  survey  information  as  a 
guide  to  action,  we  herewith  present,  as 
Appendix  B,  a  concrete  example. 

The  conditions  here  presented  may  be 
accepted  as  a  typical  example  of  a  rural 
community  in  the  States  of  the  Middle  West. 


ALBERT  ^.  MANN 


Statistics  of  the  Lawrence  Charge 

I.     TERRITORY  COVERED. 
25  Square  miles, 
16,000  Acres, 
75  Miles  Road  System. 
II.     POPULATION. 

1,500  approximate  population. 
450  families. 

3.33  average  number  per  family. 
10.2  average  acreage  per  individual. 
48  per  cent  own  their  homes. 
52  per  cent  are  renters. 
19  289 


APPENDIX 

III.  CHURCHES  REPRESENTED. 

1.  In  the  territory  of  the  Circuit.     • 

Lawrence:  Bethel  and  Arlington  Place  Methodist 
Episcopal  Churches;  Lawrence  Baptist, 
Highland  Lutheran,  and  Bell's  Chapel 
(Friends). 

2.  Churches  near  and  having  members  living  within 
the  Circuit. 

Oaklandon  Christian  and  Universalist  Churches; 
Cumberland  Methodist  Episcopal,  Baptist, 
and  German  Churches;  Irvington  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Indianapolis;  East  Tenth 
Methodist  Episcopal  and  German  Churches; 
Ebenezer  Lutheran  Church. 

IV.  CHURCH  MEMBERSHIP. 

1.  Representative  Denominations. 

No.                 Church.                      Members.  Preference. 

1.  Methodist  Episcopal..       295  165 

2.  Lutheran 63  10 

3.  Baptist 47  18 

4.'  German 32  12 

5.  Christian 27  11 

6.  Catholic 21  7 

7.  Pentecostal 17 

8.  United  Brethren 11  4 

9.  Universalist 11  6 

10.  Friends..  .  . 10  .  6 

11.  Presbyterian 6 

12.  Congregational 5  4 

13.  Church  of  Christ 5  2 

14.  Christian  Scientist ...  5 

15.  Episcopalian 4 

16.  Adventist 2 

2.  Totals  for  Church  Membership. 

a.  Total  Church  Membership 621 

b.  Total  Church  Preference 247 

c.  Total  No  Church  Preference 635 

Total  Population 1,503 

290 


APPENDIX 

V.     STATISTICS     FOR    THE     LOCAL     METHODIST     EPISCOPAL 
CHURCHES. 

1.  Members  on  field  at  beginning  of  Conference 

year,  1912 212 

2.  Members   uniting   with   the    Church   to   July 

1,  1913 ' 70 

3.  Persons  desiring  to  unite  with  the  Church  at 

present 13 

4.  Total  members  now  living  within  the  bounds 

of  the  Circuit 295 

-  5.  Members  now  living  outside  of  the  bounds  of 

the  Circuit 28 

6.  Total  membership  of  the  three  Churches  of 

the  Circuit 323 

VI.     OPPORTUNITIES  FOR  GROWTH  IN  MEMBERSHIP. 

1.  Number  moved  into  this  charge  without  letter.     50 

2.  Number  of  residents  preferring  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church 165 

3.  Total  preferring  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  215 

4.  Total  number  having  no  Church  preference.  .   635 

5.  Total   number  open  to  the  influence  of  the 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church 850 

VII.     AUXILIARY  ORGANIZATIONS  OF  THE  THREE   METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCHES. 

1.  Present  Organizations. 

a.  Three  Sunday  Schools,  enrollment 350 

Increase  for  the  year 70 

b.  Three  Epworth  Leagues,  enrollment ....   85 

Increase  for  the  year 65 

•c.  Three  Ladies' Aid  Societies,  enrollment. .   80 

Increase  for  the  year 20 

2.  Organizations  needed. 

a.  Three    Men's    Organized    Classes    or    Methodist 
Brotherhoods.    This  would  complete  symmetric- 
ally the  Church  organizations. 
291 


C 

c« 

<g 

.2 

(U 

s 

q 

JS 

S 
3, 
j 

1 

1 

C 

OFFICIAL  BOA 

en 

ass  Leaders, 

c 

3 

O 

W* 

~cn 
"5 

0) 

42 

6 

s 

I/) 

U 

U 

3 

(/} 

H 

1 

Q 

W 

J 
H 
H 

H 

Q 

292 


293 


uoinqu}uo3 

.2-3 

SI 

>   (U 

Oci 

y,  and  when  indexed  were  numbered 
membership  and  constituency  list  of 
family  and  its  members.  The  letters 
or  rented. 

•pooqjatflojg 

•qno  .spio  JO  .sAog 

•piy  .saipBq 

•DOS  AJBUOISSTJ^ 

•DOS  s.aidoaj  Suno^ 

•IOOU.DS  Atjpuns 

•paAraoa^  U9U.M 

•jaquiaj^  tpinq3 

with  the  parish  canvass,  a  white  card  was  filled  out  for  each  fami 
the  numbers  appearing  on  the  parish  map.  This  gives  a  combined 
ic  Circuit,  and  also  reveals  the  individual  problem  of  the  individual 
ring  on  the  card  also  designates  whether  or  not  the  home  is  owned 

•pazpdug 

•33y  J0  MW!9  J°  3:>Ba 

01 

E 

£ 
1 

T 

•a 
<^ 

v 
E 

o 

ffi 

1  Business  Address 

1 

1 

1 

! 

£ 

<u 
B 
a 

u 

!  Husband 

,4 
5 

iKl 

V*°e$ 

n& 

Calls 
Form  350 

8  ojs. 

csg.;. 
~gt.° 

o|? 

AjtuiBjj  UT  sjaipo 

294 


s 

II 

'o 

1 

£ 

"5  § 

PQ 

C/3   4J 

gl 

Q 

j  .2 

§ 

1 

|l 

i 

3 

u 

si 

5 

e"o 

1 

|| 

a 

| 

c 

"H.O 
o| 

g 

Is 

< 

Address 

Department 

Remembrani 

1  Remarks 

£ 

= 

1 

^"o 
03  >. 

1 

295 


S 

1 

.S 

& 

1 

o 

... 

2 

% 

J 

V 

S 

a> 

4^ 

OJ 

•c 

rt 

:  the  Application  of  Mod 
h  July  1,  1913 

REMARKS. 

Decrease  in  1912,  due  to  Rev 
Records.  Gain  1913,  32% 

Local  Budget  increases  with 
creased  Benevolence. 

Over  100%  increase,  Due  to  Ei 
member  Canvass,  etc. 

300%  increase,  due  to  increj 
Missionary  Education. 

100%  increase  in  two  years,  du 
Systematic  Presentation. 

Due  to  emphasis  placed  on  C 
dren's  day  services  of  S-  S. 

Increase,  75%  in  two  years,  du 
organized  classes,  etc. 

Three  new  Epworth  Leagues, 

to  interest  of  young  people. 

Increase  due  to  Dollar-Advo< 
and  Every-member  canvass. 

f  'B 

i 

f) 

o 

* 

o 

I 

§ 

S 

1 

s 

o 

Js 

cs 

* 

ID 

a 

2 

§ 

o 

tN 

2 

1 

s 

* 

ll 

5 

i« 

^H 

^ 

o 

fS 

^ 

ts 

^ 

o 

o 

T* 

•fi  J« 

Cv 

e*5 

T 

^H 

s 

«» 

0* 

?3 

o 

^H 

S 

z 

ij 

0 

1 

1 

I 

o 

oo 

S 

1 

0 

\o 

|i 

1 

\0 
CN 

§ 

00 

ts 

I 

1 

i 

o 

> 

*^ 

*4 

«# 

«^ 

^ 

JSS 

flu 

X 

O 

Q 

o 

^ 

*o 

J^. 

0 

X 

ts 

oo 

•Sj| 

2 

cs 

3 

* 

* 

^   0 

I 

*^ 

fc 

H' 

fi 

I 

H 

H 

o 

i 

M    O 

H 

c/5 

8 

DLENCES. 

i 

U 

1 
J 

CUE  ENR 

1 

1 

> 

ERSHIP  . 

E 

W 

i 

* 

o 

u 

Q 

V) 

~z 

8 
1 

w 

H 

RISTIAN 

6 

| 

< 

Jj 

u 

(^ 

S 

I 

i 

1 

U 

o 

S 

£ 

2 

j 

H 

h 

ffi 

* 

W 

* 

296 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


20No'50HM 


1955   f 

DAVIS 

1NTER-LIBRAR 
LOAN 


INTER-LI  BRAR 
LOAN 

APR  3     1973 


CLF  (N) 


LI)  21-100m-ll,'49(B7146sl6)476 


0656 


273412 

4J  H 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


